


Paradise City

by sophie_evelyn



Category: Ocean's 8 (2018)
Genre: 80's, AU, Angst, Coming of Age, F/F, young loubbie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-02
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2019-07-05 16:03:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 72,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15867015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sophie_evelyn/pseuds/sophie_evelyn
Summary: The year was 1988, New York City was thriving. Opportunities were limitless and everybody was striving to be somebody.Debbie Ocean was an up and coming thief dying to get the approval of her parents. Lou Miller was a rebellious fraud who was staying as far away from her parents as she possibly could. As soon as they met there was fire but the only thing with fire is, you have to make sure that you don't get burned.A story of crime, passion and everything in between.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys, so this idea has been in my head for a while now and I simply had to write this. Please let me know what you think, I intend to update as quickly as I possibly can but sometimes life does get in the way. Ratings and warnings are likely to change as the story progresses. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this fic! Let me know if you have any questions or need any clarity! Also come say hi on Tumblr: millerocean :) 
> 
> Thanks for reading!

The noisy overhead fan did little to disguise the humidity of the unusual heatwave that New York was experiencing. The perfume department in Bloomingdales was stuffy and still smelt of paint from the recent refurbishment which had taken place. Only a flutter of people littered the shop floor, most New Yorker’s choosing to enjoy the weather in the park with an ice cream rather than in a department store. Unlike many New Yorkers, Debbie Ocean wasn’t much of a sun lover, preferring the cool air of fall rather than the blistering heat of summer.

One thing that she did like about the summer though was the more relaxed nature of nearly everybody in the city, especially when it came to sales staff. She had spent the past few minutes talking to the sales assistant, Paula, asking her how her day was and complimenting her on her hairstyle, ultimately making sure that Paula didn’t suspect a single thing. She had learned the importance of charm from her older brother, Danny. That charm however, never did work on security guards.

She had been aware that the stout man who wore that antagonistic uniform had been staring at her since the moment that she had walked into the department. She didn’t recognize him so it was possible that he scrutinized everybody as harshly as he was doing to her however she wasn’t going to be taking any chances. How humiliating it would be for her, Debbie Ocean, the semi-professional thief with ambitious plans; to be caught shoplifting the latest Yves Saint Laurent perfume from a department store on a lazy Saturday afternoon.

So she brushed her fingers over the top of the bottle of perfume which she had so badly been craving and instead placed her empty hand into the pocket of her denim shorts. She gave the security guard a polite smile and he dragged his eyes away from her; realizing that she wouldn’t risk a theft knowing that he had already clocked onto her.

Instead of leaving with nothing more than a glum face, Debbie decided that she’d stick around for a bit. The gentle hum of Robert Palmer’s ‘Addicted to Love’ started to play over the grainy stereo and she nodded appreciatively at the choice of song. She tauntingly spritzed numerous perfumes on to her skin all the while shooting a cheeky grin at the stoic security guard who still hung in the corner of the room like a bad smell.

She paused and tightened her ponytail once she had realized that the attention of the security guard had been swayed away from her. She followed his glance toward the young blonde woman who had just sauntered into the store. She walked with a confident swagger, she was around the same age as herself, her hair was shoulder length, a good few inches shorter than her own and it was the perfect shade of platinum. For some reason she couldn’t keep her eyes off of her, she was the kind of girl who dressed like Madonna had done at the 1985 American Music Awards but who was likely to slap you if you said it to her face because she was the type of girl who was far _too_ cool to listen to Madonna.

The young woman glanced her way and Debbie instantly averted her gaze back over to the security guard who was now examining the blonde. He was paying her the same attention as he had done to her just moments ago. Debbie turned back to the blonde, who seemed to be oblivious to the security guard to the left of her. She tried to catch her eye, to shoot her a warning look but she was too busy studying the Chanel Number 5 bottle in her grasp. She watched as the blonde sprayed the perfume into the air, the sales assistant now preoccupied with another customer behind the counter.

The blonde woman surveyed the area around her, and it wasn’t done subtly either. “Rookie mistake,” Debbie whispered under her breath. She knew what was going to happen next, she’d seen it happen many times before and usually she would watch on and play the situation to her advantage. Only this time she wasn’t going to do that. She didn't know why but her instincts were screaming at her to help this girl out and if it was one thing that she always did pay attention to then it was her instincts. 

Just as the young woman was about to swipe the perfumes which she desired, Debbie swept her arm across the counter causing a number of glass bottles to tumble to the floor with an almighty crash. All eyes darted toward her and she gasped dramatically at the ‘accident’ which had just happened. She watched out of the corner of her eye as the blonde ran out of the shop with an armful of expensive perfumes and she couldn’t help but smile proudly at her success.

A swarm of people rushed toward the mess on the floor and Debbie started to apologise profusely and bent down to the ground to try and salvage any perfume bottles which hadn’t already shattered into a million pieces. Debbie looked up once more only to see the swaying of the double doors and she smiled amidst the glassy disaster that surrounded her. She had a feeling that this wouldn’t be the last that she saw of the striking blonde who just so happened to be a truly terrible thief…


	2. Sitting on the Edge of the Ocean

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the interest in this story so far. If anyone knows the actual names of the older Ocean's then please let me know lol! Hope you enjoy this chapter :)

Lenox Hill hadn’t always been Debbie’s home, in fact, she had moved around quite a lot as a child. She had resided in various locations around the world; Rome, London, California and most recently, New York. The Ocean’s had settled in Manhattan when Debbie was a freshman in high school, she had lived there for eight years since and it was the closest thing to a stable home that she had ever had.

Since moving there the Ocean’s had only accumulated more wealth. Her father was more often than not conspiring some great money making scheme and she could often be found listening to these plans from the other room. She aspired to be just like her father, to make a life for herself and to be a success no matter whether the law said it was legal or not. She had learned from the best and she was good at what she did, if only her father would see that too.

She let herself into the large but inconspicuous condo, the smell of coffee attacking her as soon as she did so. She knew that could only mean one thing, a heist was being planned. She could hear the sound of muffled whispers coming from the direction of the kitchen and she was itching to hear what it was that was being said.

The door was open and she could see the cigarette smoke wafting outside of it before she could see who it was that her father was speaking to. She crept closer, knowing that she should, in the words of her mother, ‘ _stay out of the way and let the guys get down to_ _business_ ’, however she never did listen to her mother that much.  She hesitated outside the kitchen door not knowing when the right time would be to make her presence known. She listened closely but she could only catch the occasional stifled word that was being said. There was a pause in the conversation and Debbie took a deep breath before entering the room.

The first face that she saw was her father’s, who was sitting in his usual place at the head of the long wooden table. He had a middle-aged man sitting either side of him and the pair of them turned to stare at her in silence as soon as she walked into the room. Johnny Ocean harshly put out his cigarette into the crystal ashtray which sat on the table in front of him. “Princess, you’re home early.” He said with a painted on smile and made no attempt in introducing the men to Debbie.

She forced a smile in response to her father and made her way to the refrigerator to fetch a bottle of water. “It’s hot out.” She said and took a long gulp of the cold refreshment.

There was an uncomfortable silence coming from the table beside her and one of the men lit another cigarette, cursing under his breathe when his lighter refused to cooperate the first time. She heard her father clear his throat and she knew that she was already outstaying her welcome. “How was your day? Did you pick up anything nice?” He asked, mostly through politeness rather than a general interest in his daughter’s day.

Debbie shrugged and couldn’t help but feel about two feet tall by the condescending tone which her father so often adopted when he spoke to her. “Nothing took my fancy.”

Johnny opened his mouth to say something further when he was interrupted by the sound of his wife’s voice. “Deborah.” Angie Ocean stated flatly and set down a fresh cup of coffee in front of her husband. She remained to stare at Debbie who screwed the lid back onto the water bottle and placed it back into the refrigerator. “Can I talk to you for a moment?”

Debbie recognized that tone only too well, she was about to receive a scolding. She sighed quietly, not completely surprised that her mom was the one who was making her leave, she always had been the disciplinarian of the household. “Talk to you later, dad.” She flashed him another overly fake smile and looked each of the strange men up and down once more in attempts to remember their faces. She had found it was always a good idea to remember her family’s ‘friends’, it was only a matter of time before they would turn into foes.

Debbie followed her mom out of the kitchen and pulled the door closed behind her on the way out. The door had barely met the frame when Angie grabbed Debbie’s wrist and pulled her closer to her. “I’ve told you before not to interrupt your father.” She said in a hushed whisper and loosened her grip considerably once she had received her daughter’s full attention. 

Debbie tugged her wrist out of her mother’s grasp and instead folded her arms over her chest so that she wouldn’t attempt to make the same gesture again. “What’s he working on?” She asked and tried her best to make out what was being said behind the door but unfortunately, all she could hear was silence.

Angie looked at her daughter who was almost the spitting image of herself when she was her age. “It doesn’t involve you, Debbie.”

She could feel that familiar anger begin to rise inside of her, that constant feeling that she wasn’t good enough to be an Ocean threatening to come to the forefront of her mind. She averted her gaze to a spot on the wall behind her mother, refusing to look her in the eye for a number of different reasons. “Why not?” She asked, her voice a few octaves higher than she had intended.  “I’m sure you’ll be involved and I _know_ Danny will be involved.”

Angie sighed and flattened out her knee-length silk skirt before resting her hands on her hips. “You’re not ready yet. There’s too much of a risk involved, we can’t afford to get anything wrong.”

She had argued her point so many times before and it was still as if her parents were not listening to her. All she needed was one chance to prove them wrong. She had always had to battle against their lack of faith in her and their uncertainty in her abilities only seemed to grow by the day. “I’m not some useless little kid.” Debbie seethed in a hushed whisper, the last thing that she wanted to do was for her father and his colleagues to hear her but she had reached that point of anger where speaking in a normal tone was out of the question. She took a deep breath and turned to face her mom once again, “I’m a good thief, when have I ever been caught?”

Angie knew that this was about to lead into a full blown argument, the same argument that she seemed to share with her daughter every time that an Ocean heist was being planned. “Debbie...” She said her name calmly and it seemed to catch her off guard because her daughter only blinked at her in response. The silence had been unexpected and she scrambled for words to fill it, not wanting to take the risk of letting Debbie voice any loud insults. “This heist is particularly confidential and…”

“And you trust those strangers in there over me?” Debbie cut in and pointed furiously at the closed door.

“It’s not that we don’t trust you, you’re still so young.”

“That’s crap. Danny joined his first heist when he was sixteen.”

Angie folded her arms, knowing that she needed to put an end to this conversation sooner rather than later. “Deborah, we’re not discussing this again.” She said firmly and glared at her youngest offspring.

“Fine and you know what? One day I’m gonna pull off a heist so big that you and dad could only dream about pulling it off!” Debbie hissed and stormed off into the direction of her bedroom before her mother had the chance to utter another word. She’d show them how good she was and she’d make them regret that they hadn’t let her get involved sooner.

A girly scream could be heard as she passed her brother’s room and Debbie could only roll her eyes at the sound of it knowing exactly who it had belonged to. Of all the people in New York that her brother could have dated, it had to be her childhood best friend, Tammy Pearson. She was about to ignore them and walk to her own room when the door to Danny’s bedroom was flung open and a messy-haired Tammy came bundling out. “Hey, Deb.” She giggled and sent Danny a flirty wave from over her shoulder before walking downstairs. Debbie still found it infuriating how she treated their home like it was her own.

“I can’t believe you’re dating somebody my age and yet you call me your kid sister.” Debbie shook her head as she leaned on the doorframe to Danny’s bedroom. Her brother was sprawled out on top of his bed, a discarded Walkman tossed to the side of him. The jolty beat of Soft Cell’s ‘Tainted Love’ was heard every so often coming from the headphones. His dark hair was slicked back with not a single hair out of place and he wore his favorite baggy shirt with the sleeves pulled up just past his elbows.

Danny shrugged in response, “Semantics. Besides Tammy is mature for her age.” He nodded for Debbie to enter his bedroom and she did so, closing the door behind her.

“And I’m not mature, huh?” She asked him, her eyes narrowing in a playful way that only siblings could share.

Danny budged over and allowed Debbie to take the empty spot on the bed beside him. “Look Debs, no matter how old or how mature you get you’re always gonna be my kid sister. Got it?”

Debbie stretched out on to her front and propped herself up with her elbows, “Whatever, I still don’t forgive you for dating my former best friend.” She and Tammy had been close, maybe too close, until Tammy had formed a crush on her older brother during junior year of high school. Since then the relationship had only grown tenser and Tammy would spend most of the time around the Ocean’s house talking to Danny rather than to Debbie. Danny had officially asked Tammy out on a date on the day after her graduation and the rest had been history.

Danny smiled sadly, he still felt guilty about how things had ended between his sister and his girlfriend. “You and Tam will make up sooner or later, you always do.”

Debbie shook her head, she was pretty certain that she and Tammy could never be friends again, not while Tammy was dating her brother anyway. It was too weird. “Yeah, maybe.” She shrugged dismissively, Tammy being at the bottom of the list of things that she wanted to talk about.

Danny, as usual, sensed that Debbie had something else playing on her mind and he pulled himself up into a sitting position. “What d'ya want Deb?”

“What’s dad planning?” She asked, hoping that he would give away some clues as she had caught him off guard.

Of course, Danny was extremely good at keeping plans to himself and he wasn’t about to break that fact especially not for his nosy little sister. “You know I can’t tell you that. It’s top secret.”

Debbie pouted, “I hate you.”

“No, you don’t. You hate that you don’t know what’s going on.” Danny corrected her and shoved her elbow playfully causing her arm to cave so that she collapsed onto the bed.

“I hate that too,” Debbie glared at him before sitting up properly on the bed. “I don’t get why they don’t let me help out.”

Danny chuckled with a shake of his head, knowing only too well the way that Debbie felt. “Debs, do you know what I had to do to even get them to consider letting me in on the family biz?”

Debbie looked at him blankly; she had always assumed that her parents had just accepted Danny right away. She had been young at the time and still hadn’t really understood the full extent of the way that her parents made money. “What did you do?” She asked him and couldn’t quite believe that she had been wrong about her brother’s ‘recruitment’ all this time.

“I had to impress them big time. So I planned this huge robbery at Wall Street, it was a risk but it paid off. I walked into one building and I left another with a case of money. Nobody suspected a lost teenager searching for his father’s work office.” Danny reminisced, he made it sound so simple but in reality, it was the hardest thing that he had ever done. He had to do it alone, he had spent months of planning and the success of it had mostly been due to luck and his youthful charm.

Debbie smiled, imagining her brother from ten years ago pulling off just that. She had always admired him, he always seemed so confident, as if nothing ever seemed to faze him. “Impressive.”

“And that’s just what you need to do. Something like that anyway.” He told her, knowing that Debbie had it in her to do just that. “You may be an Ocean by name but in this family, you have to prove your worth and that’s the only way that they’ll consider including you.”

“So I need to pull off my own heist?”

“Exactly. It’s time to step up from shoplifting, Sis. If you wanna join the big leagues then you gotta show ‘em that you’re worthy.”

“Hmm, and that’ll work?”

“It worked for me.”

“Then prepare to be impressed.” Debbie hummed with a confident grin.

Danny could already see the wheels in her head beginning to turn and he smiled to himself as he once again saw the similarities between himself and his sister. “So where’s that perfume you’ve been talking about getting for weeks.” He asked as he recalled that she had been bragging at breakfast about how she was going to get it that day.

Debbie snapped out of her reverie, the incident at Bloomingdales instantly coming back to her. “Something came up.” She replied vaguely, knowing that she could’ve handled the situation a whole lot better than she had done. Picking up broken glass for ten minutes and getting cut several times had not been ideal.

Danny read the look on Debbie’s face, knowing that ‘something’ always had a story behind it. “Really?” He asked her skeptically and waited for her to elaborate.

“Jerk of a security guard was there. Jokes on him though cos I helped some chick get away with half his stock.” Debbie subconsciously smiled as she remembered the girl that she had helped out. She had that coolness about her that was so natural and effortless and she was certain that she would’ve been completely jealous of her had she not have been so attracted to her.

The dazed look mystifying Debbie’s eyes gave her away faster than anything that she could’ve said and Danny knew right away that this girl hadn’t just been some random girl. “Yet you left with nothing?”

“Yeah well you win some you lose some.” Debbie answered defensively, not wanting her thievery skills to take a bashing.

“Not when you’re an Ocean. Who is this girl, Deb?”

“I dunno. I’ve never seen her before.”

“But you let her get away with a bunch of stuff and you have nothing. Sounds like you got a crush.”

Debbie snorted, “I have not.”

His sister’s denial only confirmed to him more that she did, indeed have a crush on the girl. “What does mystery girl look like?”

Debbie groaned, knowing that Danny would not let this drop now that he had already started. She stood up abruptly, “I’m leaving now.”

“To think about mystery girl?” Danny laughed and grabbed a hold of his Walkman as Debbie exited his room. The song had now changed to the mellow swooning of Tom Petty’s ‘Free Fallin’’ and he slid back down into a laying position in hopes of getting a few hours of relaxation before he’d inevitably be called upon to discuss the latest heist with his parents.

Debbie had left swiftly and partially red-faced, in complete denial that she had a crush on a practical stranger. She hadn’t even spoken to the girl, she didn’t even know her name and yet she still found herself thinking about her. She shook her head in hopes to stop her protruding thoughts; she had to focus on her career. She needed to think of the heist to end all heists, she didn’t want to just impress her parents; she wanted to amaze them.


	3. Looking for a Stranger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy this chapter, also Grammarly keeps trying to get me to change 'Lou' to 'you' so I thought I'd add that little detail to the story.

Having a real, legal I.D seemed to be a whole lot less fun than using a fake I.D. Drinking at twenty-two also seemed to be a whole lot less fun than it had been when she was a teenager and she would sneakily go out drinking with Tammy and a bunch of their other friends. Of course, she was drinking alone this time and the bar was playing that awfully annoying song about a hopeless woman helplessly holding out for a hero.

She had spent the whole evening thinking of heist plans and she had come up with a million possible scenarios yet none of them seemed realistic. They had either been done before or would take years to plan and time was certainly not on her side. She had already sunk two straight whiskeys and had been staring into space for the past ten minutes with her index finger tracing the rim of the empty glass in front of her. “Here.” The bartender interrupted her thoughts and pushed a shot glass full of tequila her way along with a slice of lime and a salt shaker.

Debbie’s eyebrow furrowed and she looked between the drink and the bartender. “I never ordered that,” she said and was thoroughly confused to why the drink had been placed in front of her.

The bartender looked over his shoulder and nodded in the direction of the blonde sitting across the bar. “She did.” He claimed the empty whiskey glass and left Debbie to stare at the mysterious blonde from across the room.

Debbie swallowed and had no idea what to do next. She caught eyes with the blonde and she watched as she stood up assertively and all Debbie could do was stare back at her. She was wearing black leather pants which fit her perfectly and a leopard print bandeau top which showed off her enviable collar bones. Her wrists were decorated with countless jewels and she looked as if she had just stepped out of a Joan Jett music video. Debbie looked down at her own attire. Her black mini dress was a limited edition Valentino (which she had been particularly proud of stealing) however it was from at least two seasons ago and it was a little loose around the shoulders. She really did need another ‘shopping’ trip soon.

As the girl came closer to her she noticed more than just her clothes. Her hair was more tousled than it had been before and she was wearing darker makeup which emphasized the blueness of her eyes. She slid onto the bar stool beside her in one effortless motion. Debbie looked over at the bartender who was standing on the other side of the bar, not wanting the girl to know that she had been staring at her the whole time. She waited a moment and when the girl made no sound she looked back at her and found that she was staring at her in the same way that she had been doing to her just seconds previously. “You.” She smiled and for once she was enjoying being scrutinized so deeply.

The blonde curved her lips into a smile, pleased that Debbie had recognized her. “Almost. But it’s actually pronounced like Lou.” She spoke slowly knowing that it only accentuated her Australian accent. Her eyes left Debbie’s and she stretched her hand out with a subtle, flirtatious arch of her eyebrow.

Debbie returned the gesture and shook Lou’s hand, being caught a little off guard by the unexpected accent. “I’m Debbie… Ocean.” She replied and she didn’t know why she had felt the need to tell her her surname but it came so naturally to her. She had always been proud of her family, and she had always been proud of being an Ocean however that pride seemed to be dissipating with each day. She kept her hand in Lou’s for a moment longer than was necessary but Lou made no attempt to pull away either and she tried so hard not to read into that too much but of course, her mind had already started to pick apart every little movement that Lou made.

After a moment Lou loosened her grip and Debbie slipped her hand free from hers. She had once again turned away from her and was looking away into the distance. Lou swallowed, missing the brunette’s attention immediately. She hadn’t expected to find her, she hadn’t thought that she would ever see her again but life often worked in mysterious ways and this seemed to be further proof of that. Naturally, she had made the most of the situation; she had nothing to lose after all. “I’ve been looking for you.” She said, mainly so that Debbie would look at her again. “I wanted to thank you.”

Debbie looked to her left once again as soon as she heard that accent. She smiled to herself, she could accept Lou’s thanks graciously or she could have a bit of fun and of course, she chose the second option. “What for?” She asked as ignorantly as she could and shrugged for good measure.

Lou narrowed her eyes and held in the scoff which was threatening to escape from her. “You know what for.”

“No, I really have no idea.” Debbie’s smile widened as she kept up the charade and she could see that Lou was doing her best to remain serious.

Lou shook her head with the faintest hint of a smile. “You’re a piece of work, Ocean.” She gestured to the bartender, pointing at Debbie’s drink and then giving him a thumbs up. She turned back to Debbie, realizing that she wasn’t going to drop this act that she had implemented. “Thanks for distracting that asshole at the store and letting me get away.”

Debbie grinned smugly, not expecting Lou to give up so easily but feeling triumphant nonetheless. “Oh, that? I’m just clumsy is all.”

“Maybe I would’ve believed you if you hadn’t said you were an Ocean.” Lou countered back with a smug grin of her own.

Debbie froze for a split second; her initial reaction was one of dread. Had her family stolen from Lou’s? Had Lou been involved with one of her family’s heists?  “You know us?” She said but it was more of a question rather a statement.

The bartender brought over Lou’s tequila and Lou was preoccupied for a moment leaving Debbie’s question to hang in the air. Once the bartender had left she nodded once, “My ex-girlfriend had a run in with one of you.”

Debbie couldn’t hide the relief from her face but her curiosity had been piqued. “What happened?” She asked, attempting to read Lou’s body language but she gave very little away.

Lou chuckled and reached for the salt shaker in front of her. “You ask a lot of questions for a sober person.” She glanced over to the salt shaker in front of Debbie. “Do a shot with me?”

“Are you tryna get me drunk?” Debbie asked but reached out for her own salt shaker without a second thought. She sprinkled a pinch of salt onto the back of her hand, already knowing that she would be regretting this decision in the morning. Tequila was not her friend.

Lou mimicked Debbie’s action a split second after her and placed the salt shaker back onto the table once she had left a sufficient amount of salt on her hand. “Would that be a bad thing?” She arched her right brow playfully, “D’ya wanna count us in?”

Debbie raised her hand closer to her mouth and watched as Lou did the same. “One,” She uttered and her eyes were so glued to Lou’s lips that the next number came out as just a whisper. “Two,” she raised her hand even closer to her mouth so that she could practically taste the grains of salt on her lips. Again, Lou did the same and the blonde’s eyes had settled on Debbie’s lips also. “Three.” She mouthed and swiped her tongue over the back of her hand before she had the chance to change her mind.

They both grimaced as the salt hit their taste buds and they reached for their shots in unison, shooting them back as quickly as they could. Debbie was the first to grab the slice of lime and she sucked on it for a couple of seconds before tossing it out and squirming. Lou was just moments behind and was clearly the more seasoned tequila drinker because she sucked on the lime for significantly longer. She discarded the wedge of lime and couldn’t hold back her laughter at the look of sheer displeasure on Debbie’s face. “I can tell you enjoyed that.” She said through her hysterics and Debbie soon found herself laughing alongside her.

“Shut up.” Debbie shoved Lou’s shoulder but it did nothing to stop her from laughing and instead only made her laugh more. Lou’s laugh was one of those laughs which you couldn’t not laugh along with and so she continued to laugh with her and was convinced that everyone within the near proximity must have thought that they were mad.

Lou knew that she was in trouble. She had come to her usual bar that night, lonely, depressed and looking for somebody, anybody to help her forget what day it was. She hadn’t expected to find Debbie and she certainly hadn’t expected to get on with her so well. Her thoughts caught up with her and she stopped laughing and instead just looked on at the grinning brunette beside her. “I’ve never seen you here before.”

Debbie calmed herself down and held onto Lou’s gaze, feeling much more confident within Lou’s company than she had done just minutes before. “You sound like you come here a lot.”

“You could say that,” Lou answered vaguely.

Debbie waited for Lou to follow up the statement that she had made but instead, she was just met with silence and Lou’s glance wandered to that of the spirits sitting behind the bar. She wondered whether she had said something wrong but she didn’t see how she could’ve, instead, she changed the subject. “You know you’re pretty bad at stealing shit.”

Lou chuckled and instantly turned back to face Debbie who was once again looking extremely smug. “Is that so? Maybe you should teach me a few of the Ocean tricks then.” She said but it was more of a hint to Debbie so that she could spend more time with her.

Debbie pondered the suggestion so as to not look too eager all the while the voice inside her head was screaming ‘yes’. “I could arrange something I suppose.” She said as nonchalantly as she could and looked over to the empty glass sitting in front of Lou. “More tequila?” She asked feeling more daring than anything else. She could feel that familiar adrenaline building up inside her, the kind that she usually felt before she was about to make a steal only this time it felt softer but the excitement and thrill still remained.

Lou was surprised that Debbie had suggested another shot of the drink which she seemed to have hated and the fact that she had done only impressed her more. “My kinda girl.”

More tequila soon led to arm grazes and arm grazes then led to so much more. They found themselves in the dirty bathroom of the bar with the sound of David Bowie’s ‘Fashion’ echoing through the thin door. Debbie had slammed Lou’s back against the wall without as much as a second thought. Luckily for them, the bathroom was empty and it was just big enough for the two of them to move around freely in. Lou moaned, pulling Debbie closer to her; she knew she should be the one to stop this as she was the more sober of the two of them but for some reason, she couldn’t.

Lou’s hands weaved through Debbie’s long locks and Debbie was hungrily nibbling on Lou’s exposed neck. Debbie licked a trail up to Lou’s earlobe and sucked on it gently. “You’re so fucking hot.” She whispered in her ear as coherently and as sexily as she could muster and then went back to attacking her lips. She folded her tongue into Lou’s and fiercely took the lead once again, letting her hands trail curiously over Lou’s hips. 

The kiss was messy and sloppy and it tasted of leftover alcohol mixed with the faintest hint of cigarette smoke. It was everything that Lou was used to and that’s when she realized that she didn’t want it to happen like this. Debbie wasn’t just a nameless stranger anymore, she was more than that and she deserved more than that. She couldn’t explain it but there was something about Debbie that made her different from everyone else. She was fun, she was dangerous, she was just like her. She didn’t want Debbie to just be another person to help her forget her troubles so she reluctantly pulled away from the kiss. “I have to go,” she murmured as soon as Debbie’s lips had retreated from her own.

“What? Why?” Debbie stuttered and tried her best to gain a sober head. She stared at Lou; her head swimming with confusion, Lou was certainly good at sending her mixed messages.

Lou wanted to explain everything but Debbie was still barely an acquaintance to her. “I just gotta, okay?” She said weakly and she hated how imprudent that sounded but she wasn’t ready to divulge into her deep truths just yet.

Debbie folded her arms over her chest and shifted her weight from one foot to another, the alcohol still playing a strong part in her overall posture. “What are you fucking Cinderella or something? Got a curfew?” She asked condescendingly in attempts to mask her feelings of rejection.

The hurt in Debbie’s eyes was clear for her to see and she knew that she should have handled the entire situation completely differently than she had done. She had stopped things escalating for Debbie but now was she going to lose her completely?  She placed a hand on Debbie’s folded arms which were still jolted out in protest. “Trust me, Deb.” She whispered and looked deep into her hazy brown eyes which were framed with a dark smudge of eyeshadow. “I’ll see ya around, yeah?” She asked with a slight pleading to her voice hoping that Debbie would understand that she wasn’t rejecting her, it was something more than that but it was something that she couldn’t delve into at this point in their relationship.

Debbie tried her best to remain defiant and to ignore Lou but that stupid voice which she had used had completely won her over. “Wait,” she said as soon as Lou had broken their contact again. She paused for a moment before deciding on her next move and then quickly rustled around in the small purse which she had discarded on the bathroom sink when they had first entered. Lou watched on curiously and feared what it was that Debbie was looking for. She had heard many stories about the Oceans and none of them had ended well for anyone other than those of the given name.

After a few seconds of Debbie groaning while fiddling through countless objects, she held up the black biro pen triumphantly. She clasped the lid between her teeth and pulled the pen free before spitting the lid into the sink. She grabbed a hold of one of Lou’s arms and continued to write a long number onto her forearm in large numeric. “Call me,” she muttered and signed her name in sloppy scripture just beneath the number which was now imprinted on Lou’s arm.

Lou smirked at the chaotic graffiti on her arm but was pleased that Debbie seemed to have forgiven her for her previous actions. “You bet,” she let her arm drop down to her side and leaned in to peck Debbie’s lips. Debbie didn’t kiss her back this time but she did smile at her and Lou hoped that that would be enough. She left the bathroom and looked over her shoulder to see Debbie dabbing at her smudged makeup in the mirror. She’d make it up to her somehow but right now she needed to get out of that bar. She needed to find another way to forget about what day it was; one that didn’t involve hurting anybody else.


	4. I Should be so Lucky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW as there's a brief mention of domestic violence in this chapter. 
> 
> Andddd let's all hug our little Lou.

It started off with a lie. That lie led to another and then another and soon she found herself so caught up that she didn’t know when the lies ended and the truth began. She woke up, having no clue of what the time was or what had happened during the past few hours. Her mouth was dry and she could only open her eyes partially due to the seemingly blinding light which was engulfing the room. She groaned and rolled out of the bed that wasn’t hers.

She stumbled to the kitchen, straightening down last night’s outfit with the palms of her hands. She looked around the penthouse apartment which radiated nothing but wealth and expenditure. It was a million miles away from what she was used to and she loved it. So what if it wasn’t hers? She still got to enjoy it and some of the time, it even felt like maybe it was hers.

She wondered what Debbie’s home was like. She was an Ocean and they were wealthy, notoriously wealthy. She had read about the Oceans in the newspaper once, Debbie hadn’t been mentioned but the rest of her family had. It was said that Johnny Ocean had made over $10 million in 1986 alone and that was only on the heists that the papers had heard about. She admired them, they managed to pull off heist after heist and never get caught. They were meticulous and they were the criminals that all petty thieves’ such as herself wanted to be like.

Lou sighed and tried to not think too much about Debbie. After she had left her the previous night she had returned back to the apartment alone, found some leftover liquor in the cupboard and drank until she had passed out. She looked down at the pitiful pile of her own belongings on the floor; if Debbie knew the truth about who she really was then she doubted that she’d want anything to do with her.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. She had planned on apartment sharing with a few of her peers but even that had worked out to be too expensive for her. She had been a waitress at the time, working all hours for a menial wage and having to rely on big tippers to make her money up. That job was something that she had hated, one of the many things that she had hated about her new life in America. The main source of hatred though was her step-father and the unwanted creation of their blended family.

Growing up it had just been herself and her parents. They had lived in Melbourne, Australia and things had been good; to start with at least. They were never wealthy but they were happy, things started to go wrong when she had started high school. Her father got made redundant and they couldn’t afford to pay the rent on just her mother’s wage alone. Her father Noah, started to gamble and for a while, it worked, poker was his game and he’d often end up winning every game that he played. He got greedy though and that’s when he started to lose. Each loss hit the family hard and soon they were in a crippling debt.

Noah started stealing to help pay for things but he owed a lot of people a lot of money. So he planned a heist, thinking that that would be the quickest way to make as much money as he possibly could. Arnold’s Cars was the perfect target, the business was thriving but it was still small enough to have the minimum amount of security.

Noah had waited until his wife and daughter were asleep before he sneaked out of the house. He didn’t take much with him; a flashlight, a hammer and an empty duffel bag to store his earnings in. It was almost midnight when he had arrived, the garage was being lit up by a pair of streetlights which framed either side of the building, enlightening his goal like a rainbow illuminated a pot of gold.

He got inside from the back, busting open a window with the sharp point of the hammer. No one was around and his confidence grew with every moment that passed. He found himself in the office and he knew that the money must be kept in there somewhere. What he hadn’t expected was the switching on of a light and the hard thud of a baseball bat hitting the back of his head.

Rick Arnold was a wealthy American businessman who was expanding his business overseas, Australia was his latest venture. He had been working late, filing the paperwork and checking the figures. He heard the window being cracked open and that’s when he had found Noah Miller in his office.

The rest happened so quickly, too quickly for Lou to even comprehend what had been going on. Her father had been arrested and her mother had fallen for the man who had sent him to jail. Rick Arnold had pursued Jennifer Miller almost immediately after he had seen her. He spoiled her, he flattered her and most of all he promised her the life that Noah could never give her; a life of luxury. Noah had barely been in prison for a few months before Rick was moving both mother and daughter with him back to America despite the many protests coming from Lou.

Lou had not settled well in New York, she missed her friends and she missed her father. She missed everything about her old life and hated everything about her new one. Jennifer soon got married and had a baby with Rick and Lou felt more like a spare part than a member of the family. She started to rebel, shoplift, drink and stay out all night.

One night she came home after a heavy night of drinking and Rick had shouted at her. She wasn’t one to back down and so she shouted back at him. Rick wasn’t the type of man to let a woman shout at him and what he had done next changed Lou forever. She sported that black eye for weeks and yet her mother still refused to believe that her new husband had laid a hand on her.  

As soon as Lou finished high school she left their apartment and never looked back. She floated between shelters for a while and managed to get a waitressing job at a small diner in the East Village. It was while working there that she met the Kluger’s. They were a wealthy couple who doted over their young daughter. Lou had been serving them when she had overheard them mention a move away from the city. They were moving to California to allow for their daughter to pursue her dream of acting. Lou had scoffed at that, their daughter could barely speak at that time let alone act.

With the Kluger’s moving away it meant that their current residence, a penthouse suite in the Upper West Side was going to remain vacant. Lou knew that the opportunity was never going to rise again and so she followed the Kluger’s home and her jaw dropped upon seeing their home. A few weeks later she had watched as the moving vans shipped off the Kluger’s most prized possessions and left the remainder of their belongings in the empty apartment. Lou moved herself in just days later and that was where she had remained ever since.

The quick pounding on the door caused Lou to jump and almost spill the glass of water which she was holding. She took a deep breath, recognizing the familiar knocking pattern. Placing her glass of water on the side she ran a hand through her hair, knowing it must’ve looked completely horrendous as she had practically passed out last night as soon as her head had hit the pillow. She walked over to the door, wiping her index finger under each eyelid in turn in attempts to remove any leftover makeup. She opened the door slowly, not in the mood for conversation but she knew she couldn’t ignore her only ally.

“Jesus Christ, Louise.” The housekeeper tutted disapprovingly upon seeing her friend’s disheveled appearance and staggered inside the apartment with a bag of cleaning supplies in one arm and a vacuum cleaner dragging behind her.

“Good-mornin' to you too,” Lou replied sarcastically and closed the door behind her. Donna Williams visited the apartment every other day to make sure the place remained ‘pristine’ while the Kluger’s were away. It was the one fault in Lou's plan that she hadn’t expected. Luckily for her, Donna too, had come from a difficult background and the two of them quickly formed a friendship. Lou could keep hanging out at the Kluger’s apartment and Donna would keep her updated on their whereabouts, as much as she knew, of course.

“You’re still in leather pants. Did you sleep in those?” Donna asked before dumping the vacuum in the corner of the room and spreading her cleaning supplies across the table which centered the kitchen. “Did you even get any sleep? By the looks of you, you’ve been up all night.”

Lou laughed to herself; Donna had certainly adopted the mothering role within their relationship. “Something like that.” Lou made her way back to her discarded glass of water and filled it up once again before taking a long gulp.

Donna wrapped her long black hair into a high ponytail and put on a pair of rubber gloves. “Tell me everything.” Her eyes were lighting up, as a happily married mother with two infants, she found that she seriously lacked adult company and one thing she missed, in particular, was gossip which Lou could more often than not entertain her with. In a way, she lived vicariously through Lou and hearing all of Lou’s wild stories made her work all the more entertaining.

Lou poured the remainder of water down the sink and rinsed out the used glass. “It’s not what you think.” Donna raised an eyebrow prompting Lou to elaborate and Lou sighed, it wasn’t like she had anyone else to talk to about her life. “I met someone.”

“Don’t you always?” Donna grinned suggestively, knowing all about Lou’s antics in the past.

Lou shook her head, “This was different. Yesterday was, you know…” she paused, not wanting to have to mention the day again. It was hard for her to remember her father and even harder to remember the day that he had been taken away from her. She swallowed before continuing, “I bumped into her twice in one day. That’s gotta mean something, right?”

Donna put down the cleaning spray that she was holding and gave Lou her full attention. “Shit, I forgot about yesterday. Did you manage okay?” She asked her, Lou had been vague about the day, she was vague about most things in her personal life but she had understood enough to know that the day was always going to be tough on Lou.

“Yeah, it got better.” Lou shrugged, and thought back to how she had acted on the anniversary of her father’s incarceration the previous year. She had spent most of the day drunk, at least this year she had only been drunk for the last part of it. “Nothing too destructive this time.” She said quietly, feeling a little ashamed about how she chose to deal with her unwanted memories.

Donna smiled sadly, “You know that you’re always welcome around mine if you’re feeling down, it’ll be a tight squeeze but we’d love to have you over. Now tell me about this girl.”

The change in subject perked Lou up and she stood up from the side of the unit which she had been leaning on. “She helped me get away with a few things in Bloomingdales. I dunno why she did that for. I had no idea who she was.”

“And then you saw her again?”

Lou nodded, “At the bar, she was there. We had a few drinks.”

“Did you?” Donna raised her eyebrows and grinned.

“No, I mean we could’ve but it didn’t feel right.”

Donna clocked the writing on Lou’s forearm and tilted her head in attempts to read it. “I take it that this girl is Debu?”

Lou whipped her head around to face Donna straight on and then regretted the movement instantly as her head pounded in response. She frowned, “Debbie. Wait how did you?”

Donna pointed to the black ink on Lou’s arm. “Your arm. You should call her before those numbers rub off.”

Lou looked down at the scribblings on her arm and smiled. “I forgot about that. Damn.”

“What are you waiting for? Call her.”

Lou shrugged, she did want to call Debbie but she didn’t particularly want to explain what had happened during the previous night. “It’s still early.”

“It’s almost midday, not all of us sleep till noon you know? Go on, I’ll make myself scarce.” Donna took hold of a feather duster and nudged Lou in the direction of the phone as she passed her.

Once Donna had left to clean the hallway, Lou made her way to the phone which sat on the side of the kitchen unit. She picked it up and stared at the numbers, feeling ridiculously nervous all of a sudden. She scolded herself for acting so stupid and stretched out her arm which was still patterned with Debbie’s handwriting. She punched in the numbers, stopping occasionally to make out the particularly blurry digits.

It seemed to ring forever and Lou considered hanging up with every additional second that passed. “Ocean’s residence, how may I help you?” A shrill and impatient voice which definitely didn’t belong to Debbie chimed through the telephone at her.

Lou stumbled for a moment; she had foolishly been expecting Debbie to be the one to answer, forgetting momentarily that she lived with her parents. “Mrs. Ocean? Hi, is Debbie there?” She asked in the most polite tone that she could muster.

“That depends on who is asking for her?” The voice said back to her.

“Right, uh it’s Lou. Lou Miller.”

There was a long pause before an answer was spoken to her. “My daughter doesn’t know anyone named Lou Miller.”

Lou could hear a muffled noise coming from the speaker and then an exchange of whispers which she couldn’t quite make out. She waited as patiently as she could while the muffling noise returned again and then a silence before she heard the familiar voice of Debbie Ocean on the other end of the telephone. “Sorry about that. My mom clearly thinks she knows my life better than I do. Um, so what’s up?”

Lou nibbled on her bottom lip; she really should have planned what she was going to say before she dialed in Debbie’s phone number. “Firstly I wanted to say sorry about last night…” She began but was cut off by Debbie.

“Don’t worry about it, it’s cool,” Debbie said in a tone so dismissive that it almost hurt.

“Can I make it up to you?” Lou countered back without missing a beat.

There was another silence before Debbie answered, “How do you plan on doing that?”

“Let me take you out for dinner tomorrow.”

“How about you buy me lunch and then I teach you how to actually steal like a pro?” Debbie asked, wanting to take more control of their future plans.

“You’re really willing to teach me all of those Ocean secrets, hm?” Lou teased to try and soothe some of the bitterness that she could hear in Debbie’s voice. She had a feeling that she was going to have to do some serious groveling to get back into Debbie’s good books.

Debbie had to try her hardest not to smile, she was still a little mad at Lou and she didn’t want her to think that she could just get away with treating her the way that she had. “Meet you at the Met steps at eleven, yeah?”

“See you there,” Lou answered and found herself smiling despite Debbie being a little off with her.

The click of the phone meeting the receiver was Donna’s cue to return to the kitchen. “So how did it go?” She asked excitedly, the smile on Lou’s face already confirming to her that the call had gone well.

Lou shrugged but couldn’t wipe the smile from her face no matter how hard she seemed to try. “I’m seeing her tomorrow.”

“Yes!” Donna threw her hands up in the air and rushed over to the radio at the other side of the room. She switched it on and it was already tuned in to her favorite radio station. The chorus to Whitney Houston’s ‘I wanna dance with somebody’ immediately started playing and Donna turned up the volume before turning back to Lou with a grin on her face.

Lou shook her head, knowing what her friend was suggesting. “No, nope.” She placed her hands on her hips and looked over her shoulder in attempts to ignore the huge gesture that she pre-empted Donna would make.

Donna danced her way toward Lou shouting the occasional lyric as she did so. “Come on, we need to celebrate. This is what? Your first date in forever!” She grabbed a defiant Lou’s hands and started swinging them to and fro.

Lou’s shoulders collapsed which was a sure sign of her giving in. Donna was possibly the only person who she could loosen up around and just act like the careless twenty one year old that she was. She groaned but let Donna pull her into a hug nonetheless. She wrapped her arms around the older woman and swayed with her along to the beat of the music. Soon she was laughing and for a brief moment she had forgotten all about her troubles; sometimes all it took was a little laughter, a great friend and some incredibly cheesy music to make it feel like maybe things weren't going to be so bad after all. 


	5. Material Girls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because our girls needed a little bit of fun! Also, I've put all my trust in Google when it comes to 80's slang so I hope that it's correct! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

In hindsight, meeting at the Met steps had been a very bad idea. The place was swarming with tour groups and children who all seemed to congregate in front of where she was standing. It had just turned eleven ‘o’clock and she was the first one to arrive. The heat was sticky and she already couldn’t wait to leave the popular tourist spot. She stood on her tiptoes in hopes of getting a better view of the area, but it seemed however tall she could make herself she was still unable to see past the tour groups in front of her.

She had been looking forward to hanging out with Lou despite how things had ended the last time that she had seen her. Ever since Lou had called her the day before, her mom had not stopped interrogating her about how it was that she knew Lou and Danny had already put two and two together and had been relentlessly teasing her about hanging out with her ‘crush’.

“Hey!” Lou chimed from behind her and was about to greet her with a hug but thought better of it, still unsure on how ‘over it’ Debbie was in regards to the other night.

Debbie greeted Lou with a small smile and glanced down at the gold watch on her wrist. “You’re late.” She said, wanting to emphasize the fact to Lou, time was very important to her, especially when it came to business.

Lou looked down at her own watch that she had borrowed from Mrs. Kluger, “You said eleven, and it’s eleven.” Debbie had started to skip down the remainder of the steps and Lou was following her albeit a couple of steps behind.

Debbie smiled smugly, “It’s actually ten seconds away from being one minute past eleven. Those fifty seconds could make or break a steal.” She stopped moving as soon as she reached level ground and made a display of waving her watch in front of Lou’s face once she was standing beside her once again.

Lou laughed at Debbie’s childish behavior and couldn’t help but notice just how expensive her watch looked. “But we’re not stealing anything yet.”

“You’re not taking this very seriously.” Debbie placed her hands on her hips and attempted a stern expression but it turned out to be more of an attempt to hold in the smile that was threatening to escape.

Lou fluttered her eyelashes and that action alone caused Debbie to burst out laughing. “Forgive me?” Lou asked before laughing along with Debbie.

Debbie stopped laughing but a grin still remained on her lips. Honestly, she hadn’t expected Lou to be quite as fun as she had turned out to be and she was pleasantly surprised. “You’re a dork,” she said much more affectionately than she should have and she hoped that Lou wouldn’t pull her up on that fact.

Lou grinned and was sure that she could see Debbie’s cheeks pinken slightly. “But you love me for it, don’t you?”

Debbie scoffed; never had she ever met somebody quite as confident as Lou was. “Not even.” She rolled her eyes despite finding Lou’s confidence nothing but endearing. She looked ahead, into the direction of where the desired shops were. “I was thinking we could check out Fifth Avenue, most of the boutiques down there don’t have security guards so they shouldn’t be much of a problem. Then you’re taking me to the fanciest restaurant in town, sound good?” She asked and turned back to Lou with a face of cheeky innocence.

“Sounds great.” And she really was going to take Debbie somewhere fancy because she really did want to make things up to her. She had dipped into one of the many stashes of money that the Kluger’s had left carelessly around the house. This one had been in one of the drawers of the desk; they certainly wouldn’t miss a couple of hundred dollars when they probably made more than that in an hour at work. “About that night…” Lou started but the rise of Debbie’s hand ceased her before she could say anything further.

Debbie lowered her hand and shook her head, already in complete work mode. She was determined to turn Lou into a good thief and once she had her mind set on something there was no going back. “We can talk later. Business first.” Debbie faced forward and started walking, excited to get this little mission underway.

“Are you always this serious?” Lou asked and matched Debbie’s fast pace reasonably easily despite the heeled boots that she was wearing causing her to falter at times.

“Only when it comes to work. Now I’ve told you about timing, that’s important but there’s a whole bunch of other stuff that’s important too.”

“Such as?”

“Scoping the area, before the steal and especially during. If it’s a big steal then you’ll need a plan but for today we can just play it by ear.”

“Do you often plan big steals?”

“Sometimes, I’m planning one now actually.” Debbie bit her lip, already having said too much.

“Need some help?” Lou asked, intrigued about whatever it was that Debbie was planning.

Debbie was tempted to fill Lou in with everything that she had thought about but she had very little details and she _had_ only just met her, despite it feeling as if she had known her for quite some time. “One step at a time, Doris Payne.” She answered sarcastically, although the idea of having a partner had been well and truly planted inside her head.

Lou smirked; of course Debbie would make reference to famous criminals rather than the usual pop culture references. “You never know, I could surprise you.”

“Oh, I’m sure that you will.” Debbie said under her breath before raising her voice again and demanding Lou’s attention once more. “The next rule is one you might struggle with, knowing when to give up when a fail is imminent. Oh, and you need to be charming especially to sales staff.”

Lou smirked; “That shouldn’t be a problem, I charmed you, didn’t I?”

“You wish.” Debbie laughed, again shocked by the amount of confidence displayed by Lou, however, it wasn’t like she had been wrong; Lou had very much charmed her. “Now, quit flirting with me and take these.” She pulled out a couple of empty shopping bags from her purse and handed them over to Lou.

Lou took the bags and frowned at them before looking back at Debbie who was already straightening out an old Macy’s bag and placing her purse inside of it to fill it out. “Why are you giving me a load of empty shopping bags?”

Debbie placed the Macy’s bag on the crook of her elbow with a satisfied smile. “They won’t be empty when we leave the shops.”

Lou chuckled, catching on once she saw Debbie’s ‘full’ shopping bag. “No duh.”

Debbie elbowed Lou playfully in the ribs, not appreciating her sarcasm. “Come on!” She urged and swung her bag into Lou’s empty ones waiting while she stuffed one bag with the other. “See, now we look like two rich teens doing a bit of light shopping with Daddy’s credit card. You can call me Julie, I’ve just moved here from California and you are my new best friend from Australia. And you, well you’re called Sandy obviously. ”

Lou laughed, shaking her head. She hadn’t expected for Debbie to come up with a backstory especially as all that they were doing was shoplifting. She figured that Debbie was the sort of person who planned everything even when they were supposedly ‘playing things by ear’. “You’re good, I’ll give you that.” Lou held up her stuffed brown bag and Debbie gave her a nod of approval.

Debbie led the way to a new store which had recently opened on New York’s famous Fifth Avenue. It was a smallish boutique that stocked jewelry ranging from $200 to $500. It was no Tiffany’s but it would be a perfect training ground for her to school Lou on the art of thieving jewels. She stopped outside of the window and pointed out a gold bracelet which sat in the middle of the display. “Why is the best jewelry always the hardest to get?” She sighed longingly at the gold band before turning to Lou who was still marveling the bracelet. “We should probably try for something easier this time.”

Lou cocked an eyebrow, “Whatever you say, boss.” But she continued staring at the piece of jewelry that Debbie desired, one way or another she would be getting that bracelet for her.

With a sigh, Debbie grabbed hold of Lou’s wrist and led the way inside the shop. “Watch and learn,” Debbie whispered to Lou before entering through the door with Lou right behind her.

The boutique was small but spread out; there were two sales assistants who were chatting to one another behind a small counter at the back of the shop. They both looked up as the girls entered and smiled in their direction. Debbie waved and walked up to the counter while Lou hung behind to browse by the window.

Lou watched Debbie for a moment, she was so natural and she had them eating out of her hand within seconds. She had started off by talking about the weather and had then spoken about one of the sales assistant’s eye makeup. She was then asking their opinion on what kind of necklace would suit her the best. One of the sales assistant’s was preoccupied with finding different chains for her while the other was talking in depth about the jewelry that the store offered.

Lou knew that was the perfect moment to retrieve the bracelet that Debbie had sought after. So she made her way to the side of the window, her eyes remaining on Debbie and the sales assistants the whole time that she did so. She snaked her hand over the counter and grabbed the bracelet, placing it in the pocket of her jacket as fast as she could. Her heart was pounding and she was convinced that she was about to be stopped but everything seemed to carry on as normal. Once her breathing had returned to its regular pace, she walked over to join Debbie who had just dismissed herself to browse at the range of jewelry that the store presented.

The sales assistants both turned their back to put away the jewelry which Debbie had tried on and she winked at Lou confidently. Quickly Debbie turned and walked past the numerous mannequins which lined the side of the store, slipping the rings and bracelets into her bag as she purposely brushed past them. “Have a great day!” Debbie called out once she reached the door and the sales assistants both said their goodbyes in return.

Once they were outside Debbie turned to Lou with a beaming smile, “How gnarly was that?”

“Pretty damn gnarly.” Lou agreed and was impressed with how effortless Debbie made the whole thing look. It was as if she had done it one hundred times before and she probably had.

“Now for some clothes!” Debbie chimed and pulled out a handful of rings from her bag. “Here, these will look better on you than on me.”

“Thanks,” Lou placed a ring on each of her fingers and waved them in the sunshine so that they gleamed back at her. She was feeling particularly smug because she had managed to pull off the additional secret snatch without even Debbie realizing that she had and she planned on surprising her with the gift later on.

The next store that Debbie had led her to was one which she had walked past several times but had never actually gone in. It was big and there were various mannequins in the window that sported the latest fashion trends. The store's name beamed down at them in flashing neon purple lights and the sound of Peter Gabriel’s ‘Sledgehammer’ was pumping out of the stereo.

Debbie turned to Lou upon entering the store. “Okay, five minutes to find an outfit, I’ll meet you in the fitting room.”

“You’re on!” Lou grinned and disappeared to the other side of the store almost as soon as she had finished speaking.

Debbie had no idea why she had suggested this game but she wanted to see what Lou’s style was like because every time that she had seen her she managed to look effortlessly flawless. Debbie had grabbed a pair of jeans and a vest which was boring but her mind wasn’t exactly on shopping anymore. She looked at her outfit in the mirror and groaned; maybe she should have thought more about what she had wanted to steal. She pulled out her scrunchie and her hair fell down her back, she ran a hand through it and pulled a section of it over her shoulder. At least her hair looked good.

Lou had picked a pair of leather pants, of course, however, this pair was purple and she had never owned a pair of purple leather pants before. She teamed the pants with a black off the shoulder top and she was surprised at how good they looked when worn together. She stepped out of the fitting room and Debbie appeared seconds later. Lou smiled, noticing Debbie’s change in hairstyle right away. “I like your hair like that.” She said without even thinking and this time she was certain that she saw Debbie blush.

Debbie cleared her throat, “Thanks,” she muttered and then gave Lou’s outfit a once-over. “You should definitely take that outfit.”

“That easy, huh?"

Debbie nodded and pulled off the price tag which hung on the side of her jeans. “Just rip off the tags, this store is like the easiest.”

Lou copied what Debbie had done and tossed the price tag off of her pants and on to the floor. “How come?”

“The staff are all our age and are way more bothered about what they’re wearing than monitoring the fitting rooms.”

Lou reached around to rip off the tag on her shirt, “Then I’ll be taking this outfit and you’ll be taking yours.”

“I was just gonna take the jeans.” Debbie shrugged, again not really feeling her chosen attire.

“Your arms look good in that vest.” Lou smiled and let her eyes settle on Debbie’s tanned arms.

Debbie had not been expecting that answer but she was beginning to find out that Lou was anything but predictable. “Oh, then I guess I’ll be taking the vest too.” She replied and was met with a smile from Lou.

After filling each of their shopping bags to the brim, lunch was very much in order. Lou had taken Debbie to a small and very exclusive restaurant which was located in nearby Park Avenue. She hadn’t been there before but Debbie apparently had because she greeted the servers by their first name. Debbie had also recommended half of the menu to Lou and had complimented her on her choice of restaurant. It seemed that ‘Exquis’ was going to be their favorite restaurant going forward.

They had just finished dessert and Debbie was sipping leisurely on her second glass of wine. She had already hit the giggly stage of drunkenness. It seemed that Debbie was a bit of a lightweight and Lou found that equally adorable and hilarious. “I have something for you.” She said and caught Debbie’s wandering gaze.

Debbie placed her glass of wine down onto the coaster and raised an eyebrow. “What is it?” She asked and leaned forward, her eyes following Lou’s hand which had reached down to the pocket of her leather jacket.

Lou knew that Debbie was going to be impressed and she was excited to see how she was going to react. “You know that bracelet you had your eye on?”

“The one in the window?” Her eyes grew a little larger as the gold bracelet came into sight. “No way? How did you get that? When did you get that?” Lou passed the bracelet to Debbie who was examining it closely as if she didn’t quite believe that it was real.

Lou grinned as she watched Debbie in awe with the piece of stolen jewelry. “When you were talking to the staff about makeup, I was stealing this bracelet.”

Debbie placed the bracelet on her wrist and held out her arm to admire it in the light. “I must be a truly bitchin’ teacher.”

“You are, like big time. But there’s something else I need to tell you.”

Debbie froze for a moment and retrieved her arm from the air. “Please don’t tell me you’re a cop.” She smiled when she spoke but part of her was genuinely worried because at the moment it seemed as if Lou was too good to be true.

Lou shook her head and displayed a look of disgusted offense. “No, definitely not a cop.” She took a deep breath, speaking about her personal life was always so hard for her especially when she had no idea how the other person was going to react. “When you saw me in Bloomingdales on Saturday, I kinda wanted to get caught.”

“What? That makes no sense.” Debbie thought back to Saturday and how careless Lou had acted in front of that security guard.

Lou shifted in her seat, her usual confidence dissipating with every passing second. “This is gonna sound stupid but I wanted to get caught stealing. I wanted to see what it felt like to get arrested. I wanted to know what goes through your mind when you get caught.”

Debbie frowned, still not following what it was that Lou was trying to explain to her. “Why though?”

“My dad got caught. He’s in jail now. Saturday was the five year anniversary of his arrest. I dunno, I wanted to be close to him, it was stupid.” Lou shrugged to try and regain some of her composure but it hadn’t fooled Debbie who was now looking at her all concerned.

Debbie realized then that there was so much about Lou that she didn’t know and she wanted to find out every last detail. “That ain’t stupid. I’m sorry about your dad. Have you visited him?”

“He’s back in Oz, I haven’t seen him in years. It’s usually okay but that day is just harder than others.”

“You’re so brave and not stupid at all by the way.” She let her fingers trail over the table and found Lou’s hand, slipping her fingers in between hers. Her father had been caught many a time but he always found a way to avoid jail time, be it through a hefty payoff, a good lawyer or sheer brutality. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like if her father was away for as long as Lou’s dad had been.

Lou glanced down at their linked hands and squeezed Debbie’s hand softly. She had forgotten how much she missed the simple things like being comforted when she felt down. “I wasn’t rejecting you Saturday night either.”

“You don’t need to explain, I know.” Debbie confirmed and as far as she was concerned the whole miscommunication was forgotten about.

Lou smiled before looking away, “Let’s get out of here.” She said and let go of Debbie’s hand while she finished the remainder of her drink. She placed down a generous handful of bills before standing up and retrieving the shopping bags from under the table.

Debbie said goodbye to the waiting staff and led the way back out into the city sunshine. She waited for Lou to step outside before she weaved her arm through hers, assuming that they were at that stage already and smiling when Lou seemed more than accustomed to the idea. “I would invite you back to mine but my dad has crooks over.” Debbie looked at Lou, practically suggesting that they go back to hers for a bit.

“I have a free house.” Lou grinned back at Debbie and led the two of them into the direction of the Kluger’s apartment. The question was, would she be brave enough to tell Debbie the truth about her life or would she carry on living a luxurious lie?


	6. Close To Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rating change for this chapter which can only mean one thing...

Debbie hadn’t known what to expect in relation to where Lou lived but she certainly hadn’t expected the lavish apartment that she found before her. Firstly, it was located in the Upper West Side which often meant that it was from old money which confused her right away seeing as Lou was Australian. Lou had also acted weirdly when she was walking through her neighborhood; she had kept her head down and had avoided making eye contact with any other passers-by. Debbie was now standing in the doorway of the apartment and she seemed to have even more questions about Lou’s life than she had before. “Nice place.” She stated and continued to stare in mild astonishment at just how ‘nice’ it was.

Lou had noted Debbie’s hesitation and she had an uncomfortable look on her face which seemed to unsettle her. Lou cleared her throat and walked toward the kitchen with Debbie trailing behind her. “Do you want a coffee? Or I have something stronger but that probably wouldn’t be a good idea.”

“Just water will be fine.” Debbie replied and began to look around the spacious apartment. There was something which wasn’t quite right. It was too clean for a start, it was reasonably empty, in fact, it looked exactly like an apartment that would be seen in a Pottery Barn catalog. It looked unlived in, it was nothing but a framework; it was a house but it wasn’t a home.

Lou could see Debbie’s eyes resting on the couch, a frown sculpted on her forehead. “You can ask me if you want?” She said, knowing that Debbie was already suspecting something but not knowing exactly what it was.

Lou’s voice pulled her out of her daze and she accepted the bottle of water from her. She noticed the worry in Lou’s eyes and she knew that the current moment was not the right time to start interrogating her. “Hm, I was gonna ask why you hadn’t invited me back here sooner.” She smiled at Lou and could see the worry drain from Lou almost immediately.

She knew that wasn’t what Debbie wanted to ask her but she was pleased that Debbie had decided to go down this route rather than the one that would result in a lot of tricky conversation. She placed hers and Debbie’s bags down by the side of the couch and went to sit down. “I didn’t wanna be too forward. Besides, how do I know you won’t rob me blind?”

Debbie chuckled and placed her drink down on the table. “I promise I will never steal anything from you. Okay?” She threw herself down onto the couch next to Lou, making sure to sit as close to her as she possibly could.

Lou could feel the warmth radiating from Debbie and she moved even closer to her, enough so that their arms were touching. Debbie looked at her, the kind of look that felt as if it could burn into your very soul. She hadn’t received a look like that in a long time, if ever, and it made her nervous. “Thanks for today.” She said, only to break the tension which was building with every moment that they had been staring at one another in silence.

Debbie bit down on her bottom lip and her eyes subconsciously fell to Lou’s lips. “You’re welcome, it was fun. You’re fun. And you’re actually an okay thief.”

“Coming from you that’s quite the compliment.” Lou swallowed, that tension again gaining with every passing moment. Debbie’s eyes were still set on her lips and she leaned in closer to her without even realizing that she had done so. Her lips found Debbie’s faster than she had anticipated and her eyes closed as soon as she felt her touch.

The kiss was slow and passionate and Debbie had wound her knuckles into Lou’s hair and was tugging at it softly in attempts to pull her closer.  It was different from their last kiss, it seemed more familiar, the hunger was still there but there was no hurry. Both of them seemed to take their time in getting to know the other, it was gentle and exploratory and neither of them wanted it to ever end.

Unfortunately, the need for air beat the need for one another and they both pulled away simultaneously. Debbie grinned, her hand dropping from Lou’s hair and resting on her knee instead. “I’ve wanted to do that all day.” She whispered, her lips still tingling from the kiss.

“Me too,” Lou sighed and found herself wearing a continuous smile on her face. If anyone else was around then she would sure to be embarrassed, but since it was only Debbie she didn’t seem to mind. She reached across and ran her fingers through Debbie’s hair, letting her fingers twist through the ends of it. “Tell me something about you,” She uttered and let a loose wave fall back down on to Debbie’s shoulder.

Debbie caught Lou’s hand with her own and weaved their fingers together. “What do you want to know?”

Lou shrugged, Debbie was so fascinating that she’d be happy with any information that she provided her with. “Anything, everything.”

“Okay. I live in the Upper East Side with my mom, my dad and my older brother Danny. You already know what we do for a living.” Debbie hummed, not knowing whether to continue with her train of thought or not. Lou had been listening to her so intently and it felt weird to have someone listen to every single word that she was saying without their mind being on something else. “The current heist which we’re planning is gonna be huge and I’m super psyched.”

“What is it?” Lou asked and wondered why it had been that the glimmer in Debbie’s eyes had faded when she spoke about her family’s heist plans.

“It’s a secret,” Debbie replied with a hint of sarcasm lacing each word. She was sick of hearing that same answer each time that she even asked the simplest of questions.

“Really?” Lou asked, sensing that Debbie wasn’t telling her the whole story. She rubbed her thumb tenderly over the back of her hand, urging her to tell her more if she wanted to.

“Yeah, so much of a secret that they won’t even tell me.” She rolled her eyes, a pang of anger hitting her chest as it always did when she thought about her family’s rejection of her.

“Do they ever let you join in with their heists?”

“I gotta prove myself first.” Debbie sighed and elongated her words for emphasis.

Lou shook her head, not quite believing what she was hearing. “That’s bullshit. You’re a great thief.”

“My parents think over-wise.”

“What about Danny?”

“He said once I impress them then they’ll let me in on their plans.”

“So that’s the big steal you’re planning?”

“Yeah, that.” Debbie scoffed, she was disappointed in herself. She had spent every available moment thinking about her ‘heist to end all heists’ but still, she had nothing planned. “I actually don’t have any idea what I’m gonna do.” She stated honestly and knew that Lou wouldn’t judge her or question her abilities and that was a feeling that she wished she could have experienced more.

Lou continued to gaze into Debbie’s eyes, noticing that maybe Debbie’s family perhaps weren’t the most supportive of her after all. “You’ll think of something and it’ll be so big that it’ll blow them away. Now tell me more about Debbie. Not Debbie Ocean, just Debbie.”

“I…” Debbie paused, noticing that she had spent most of her time speaking about her family. She looked down, a little unsure on what to say about herself. “I love traveling, learning different languages and experiencing different cultures. When I was a kid we traveled a lot, I miss that.”

Lou’s smile returned after hearing that. This was the Debbie that she wanted to know, even though Debbie the thief was pretty damn cool, Debbie the person was even cooler. “Where was your favorite place?”

Debbie thought for a moment, some places she had only visited for a number of weeks while her parents were on business. She had always been fond of Europe, each country offered their own culture and she loved that about those countries. “I liked Spain, Germany was nice also. I’m actually learning some German so I won’t look like a total airhead next time I visit there.”

Lou laughed, “Yeah you’re a total airhead.” Debbie glared at her but it wasn’t long before Lou had her smiling again. “Have you ever been to Australia?”

Debbie grinned and shuffled closer to Lou, “Not yet, but we’ll go one day.”

“You’re just saying that so you’ll have a free tour guide,” Lou replied and snuggled up closer to Debbie allowing for her to rest her head on her shoulder.

“A free tour guide with benefits,” Debbie added with a smirk, nestling comfortably into Lou’s shoulder. “When did you move to America?”

“When I was sixteen. Rick moved us out here.” It still unnerved her saying his name and she had to try her hardest not to let her mind wander back to those unhappy memories which she had experienced as a teenager.

“Who’s Rick?” Debbie asked, feeling Lou tense up almost right after she had mentioned his name.

“My stepdad, he’s an asshole. I don’t talk to him or my mum or my precious little stepbrother.” The venom in her voice was clear and it caused Debbie to sit up straight and make sure that she was okay.

She watched as Lou took a deep breath and she placed a hand on her shoulder. Lou gave her a small smile then and she hoped that Lou really was okay. “So your mom just lets you stay here by yourself?” She asked, deciding not to mention the R word again.

“Something like that.” Lou said quietly and she knew that she should really be telling Debbie everything now because it was the right moment but everything had been so nice and she didn’t want any of that to change. Debbie was still staring at her, her eyes had darkened and she realized just how intense of a person she was in that moment. “Now back to those benefits.” She raised an eyebrow and Debbie leaned in closer to her, claiming her lips once again.

Debbie loved kissing Lou and she hadn’t been surprised to find out that she was an amazing kisser. She wanted more though and Debbie Ocean always got what she wanted.  “Let’s go somewhere more comfy,” she suggested in between kisses and swiped her tongue over Lou’s bottom lip.

“Are you sure?” She continued to gaze at Debbie, wanting nothing more than to take things a step further with her.

Debbie nodded, “Definitely.”

Lou stood up and Debbie grabbed hold of her hand. She led the way to the bedroom which again surprised Debbie in the way that it was decorated. It was modern but it looked as if it would have belonged to someone far older than Lou. There was a bed in the center, a closet which looked unused and a duffel bag which sat messily in the corner of the room.

Lou walked over to the desk beside the closet and fiddled around with the vinyl player for a couple of moments. Debbie crept up behind her and wrapped her arms around her waist. “Put this one on,” she said and held up the Foreigner vinyl which she had found in one of the piles of records on the edge of the desk.

Lou took hold of the vinyl and nodded. “Nice choice,” she placed the needle on the record and the soft intro of ‘Waiting for a girl like you’ started to fill the room. Lou turned her head and placed a gentle kiss on Debbie’s temple before leading them to the bed.

Debbie practically fell on top of Lou almost as soon as Lou sat down.  She didn’t just want Lou, she needed her, she craved her. She planted her lips against Lou’s and within seconds fast, hot, open-mouthed kisses were being exchanged between them.

Lou fell back on the bed and Debbie clambered on top of her, her tongue seeking entry into her mouth as soon as her head had hit the pillow. Lou’s hands wandered down Debbie’s back and pulled at her t-shirt, wanting to see more of her.

Debbie tore her mouth away from Lou and ripped off her t-shirt, flinging it to the floor. She pulled Lou up and watched her as she did the same and discarded the first layer of her clothing. “I’ve wanted you since I first saw you,” Debbie smiled hungrily and leaned forward again, this time leaning her forehead against Lou’s. “Be mine?” She whispered and could feel the coolness of Lou’s breath hitting her lips every few seconds.

Lou closed her eyes for a moment to make sure that everything that was happening was real life. She took a deep breath and when she opened her eyes she saw Debbie staring back at her. “Yes.” She husked and placed her hands on Debbie’s shoulders spinning her around so that she gained the upper hand. “Fuck yes.” She grinned and kissed her once again.

Lou’s hands wandered to the waistband of Debbie’s shorts and she let a finger dip beneath it. Debbie reached behind Lou’s back and unhooked her bra, her teeth dragging Lou’s bottom lip seductively. “Fuck me?” She practically whimpered as Lou let her bra fall down her shoulders.

Lou unbuttoned Debbie’s shorts, not needing to be told twice. Debbie wriggled around while she removed her own bra and tossed it to the floor. She looked down at Lou and found her staring right back at her with dark eyes, that look of unapologetic desire turning her on even more so. She raised her hips a little and allowed for Lou to take off her shorts and her underwear.

Lou trailed her hand down to Debbie’s waist and touched her thumb over her clit, feeling her hips bucking against her hand wanting so much more from her. Debbie grabbed hold of Lou’s head and pulled her closer. “Please, baby.” She whispered against her lips and plunged her tongue into Lou’s mouth.

Lou tore her lips away from Debbie’s and found her cool neck. She rolled her tongue over her bare skin and sucked gently, resulting in a series of moans escaping from Debbie. She started to rub her clit, increasing the pressure with each sound that Debbie made.

She trailed her kisses lower and stopped when she reached Debbie’s breasts. She sucked on a nipple and Debbie’s back arched. She could feel the growing wetness beneath her hand and she slowly inserted a finger inside her. Debbie gasped with pleasure and begged Lou for more.

Another finger was added and she started a steady rhythm which caused Debbie to thrust against her hand. “Faster,” Debbie pleaded, knowing exactly what she wanted from Lou.

Lou only obeyed and picked up speed, her fingers hitting deep and hard. Lou nibbled on Debbie’s nipple and she moaned loudly as all of her sensations reached their peak.

Debbie was panting while Lou slowly crawled back up to the head of the bed. She placed a soft kiss on Debbie’s lips and brushed away the loose hair which hung on the side of her face. “You’re so beautiful,” she whispered as Debbie caught her breath.

“You’re secretly a total softie aren’t you?” Debbie laughed and placed a kiss on Lou’s nose. “You’re beautiful too, I like you a lot.”

“Now who’s being soft?” Lou teased.

Debbie rolled her eyes, her breath slowly returning to a normal pace. “Shut up.”

“Make me.” Lou dared and there was nothing Debbie loved more than a challenge.

She leaped up with a sudden burst of energy that came from seemingly nowhere and straddled Lou. “Gladly,” She cocked an eyebrow before kissing Lou’s chest and working her way over her breasts and down her stomach. She reached Lou’s pants and unbuttoned them, tugging them until they slowly came off. “Damn, leather pants.” She grunted which caused a chuckle to escape from Lou’s lips.

Once Lou was naked she smiled and left long kisses over her waist until she reached the main attraction. Lou weaved her fingers through Debbie’s hair, the warm breath hitting her causing her skin to pimple. Debbie swiped her tongue tentatively over wet folds, a moan of her own leaving her lips upon the first taste that she got of Lou.

Debbie’s confidence grew with each moan that echoed in her direction. She buried her tongue deeper, wanting to taste everything that she could. Lou bucked her hips towards Debbie’s mouth, her fingers gripping tightly onto the long brown locks beneath her. Debbie kept a hand firmly on the bedsheets and let the other one greet the throbbing nub of Lou’s clit. She started to rub it in time with the actions that her tongue was making, determined for Lou to get the same release that she had previously gotten.

“Mhm, yes...” Lou moaned and found her orgasm come crashing over her just moments later. Debbie cleaned up before triumphantly returning to greet Lou at the top of the bed. She watched Lou for a moment until she had recovered and then gave her a smug look which Lou could only laugh at.

“From now on that’s the only way you’re going to get me to shut up.” Lou clambered under the covers and Debbie did the same, making sure to lay just as close to Lou again as she had done so before. Lou wrapped her arm around Debbie’s waist pulling her close to her. “Stay with me tonight?” She asked and couldn't hide that slight vulnerability from her voice. People never stayed over, she had never asked them to nor had she wanted them to, not until now, that was.

“I ain’t going nowhere.” Debbie matched Lou’s actions and wrapped her arm around her waist. Her eyes drifting shut just as the record stopped playing. Lou placed a gentle kiss on her cheek before giving into her own tiredness and letting her eyes slowly close. Maybe, she could get used to not sleeping alone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm actually going to NYC tomorrow (not 80's NYC unfortunately) so my next update might take a little longer than usual but I do have an 8 hour flight each way to write during so I'm sure it won't actually be that much later than usual! Thanks again to everyone for reading, I'm so happy that you guys are liking this story!


	7. Should I Stay or Should I Go?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Again, sorry this chapter took a little longer to be posted than usual. I hope you enjoy it!

Debbie awakened to the light tickling of Lou’s hair against her skin. She looked over to Lou who was still sleeping soundly, an arm spread out across the pillow beneath her and her breathing soft and steady. Part of her wanted to wake her up but she decided against the idea when she noticed how content Lou looked in her slumber.

She crept out of bed; gently placing the covers over Lou’s sleeping form once she had stood up. She grabbed her clothes from various corners of the room and redressed herself before tiptoeing out of the bedroom. She was planning on making her way to the kitchen but, of course, her curiosity got the better of her.

Instead of heading towards the kitchen she made a right turn and continued down the hallway. There was a closed red door at the end of it with the name ‘Daphne’ written on it with colorful stickers. Debbie turned the handle and cursed when she found out that it was locked. She continued to stare at the name on the door, she was 99% sure that Lou had said that she had a stepbrother and not a stepsister. She nibbled on the inside of her cheek, another thing which didn’t quite add up with Lou’s story…

After unsuccessfully trying to enter the mysterious room, she found her way to the kitchen. She didn’t consider herself to be much of a cook but she could certainly whip up some pancakes or at least some eggs on toast. She made her way to the refrigerator and found nothing but a couple of bottles of beer staring back at her. She raised an amused eyebrow before closing the door. Lou had to have something that they could eat for breakfast.

She stretched up and opened the very top cupboard which was full of bowls and plates and at the very back was a framed photograph. She frowned and pulled out the photo frame, checking behind her shoulder as she did so. Lou was still nowhere to be seen so she proceeded in pulling the item into view. She was met by three smiling faces; one belonging to a woman in her thirties and another was of a man of about the same age. In between them was a young child with messy bangs and gap teeth, they stood in front of the Statue of Liberty and it looked exactly like one of those staged family photographs which her family used to make her pose for when she was much younger.

Debbie placed the photograph down onto the worktop, wondering who these strange people were and why they were being hidden amongst the kitchen utensils. She checked another cabinet and this time she found a bundle of unopened envelopes, all of which were postmarked and addressed either to a ‘Mrs. Kluger’ or a ‘Mr. Kluger’. Debbie shuffled through the envelopes, checking them over to see if any of them had been opened; they hadn’t.

“Who are the Kluger’s?” She wondered out loud and held an envelope up to the light in attempts to see where the postmark was from.

Lou stirred and sleepily stretched an arm out to reach for Debbie. When she found that she was gone she couldn’t help but panic, she sat up with a start and stared sadly at the empty space beside her.

She was used to it, she was so used to it and yet each time it seemed to hurt even more. It was why she kept her walls up so high because every time she let them down she experienced disappointment and it was something she would really rather do without. A noise coming from the kitchen pulled her out of her self-pity and she jumped to her feet, reaching for her clothes and tugging them on as quickly as she could.

She heard Debbie before she saw her sifting through a pile of post which she had discovered from the cupboard which they had been hidden in. “Shit.” Lou said to herself, it looked like she had no other option but to tell Debbie everything. “Hey,” she called out, startling Debbie who quickly placed the envelopes onto the unit behind her.  

“I wasn’t snooping, I swear.” She said guiltily, holding both her hands up in defense. “I was gonna make us something to eat and then I found these and that weird photo of whoever they are.” She gestured at the photograph which she had discarded beside the post and noticed that Lou was looking at the floor and was making no attempt to cut in with an explanation. “What the fuck’s going on, Lou?”

Lou wandered over to where Debbie was standing but still failed to meet her eye. “Promise me that you won’t disappear if I tell you the truth?”

Debbie was trying to be mad, she was trying to be angry at Lou for keeping the truth from her yet again, but she just couldn’t be. There was something in the way that she spoke that was so open and so raw and the only thing she felt for her was empathy. She wanted to wrap her arms around her and not let her go, but first, she needed answers. “Yeah, whatever it is. I’m not gonna leave you, I’m hardly a saint myself.” She laughed nervously, her mind leading her to a million possible scenarios ranging from practical to pure ridiculous.

Lou offered a small smile, Debbie’s words comforting her more than she thought that they would have. She rested a hand on the counter beside her and the other started to play with the bottom of her shirt. “This isn’t my apartment. These aren’t my things and I’m certainly not rich.”

Debbie swallowed as she tried to take in what Lou had told her; all of the misconceptions seeming to make more sense upon knowing that the apartment did not belong to Lou. “Whose place is this? And how are you staying here?”

Lou took another deep breath and cautiously looked up at Debbie who amazingly enough wasn’t looking at her in pure disgust.  She reached for the photograph, “It belongs to the Kluger’s; they’re a wealthy family who are in L.A at the moment. They don’t know I’m staying here, no one does apart from you and Donna, she’s the housekeeper, she’s cool.” Her words drifted off and she looked at the photograph of the Kluger’s for a moment before storing it safely away into the cupboard.

Debbie nodded and watched as Lou hid the photograph once more, “What happens when they come back?”

Lou shrugged and gazed out of the window. “Fuck knows, I haven’t thought about that yet.”

“What about your mom? Does she know?”

“I haven’t spoken to her since I left home. I don’t need her.”

“So it’s just you?” Debbie asked and again felt like wrapping her arms around Lou and protecting her from all the bad things that she had experienced in the past. It seemed that the more she found out about Lou, the more heartbreaking it was. She was certainly good at keeping up a façade.

Lou nodded and turned back to Debbie, “Are you mad?” She asked, hoping that she wasn’t about to lose the only person who she had fully opened up to in a long time.

Debbie shook her head, “I’m mad you never told me right away but I’m not mad about your situation. It doesn’t change anything.”

“I wanted to tell you I just… I don’t know. I didn’t want you to think of me differently.”

“Hey, I wouldn’t have. Thank you for telling me.” Debbie reached her hand across and caressed Lou’s cheek. She could see how vulnerable Lou was being and she knew that it couldn’t have been easy for her to talk about these things. “We tell each other everything from now on, deal?”

Lou smiled, and felt foolish for underestimating Debbie, “Deal.” She placed her own hand over Debbie’s and then pulled her into a hug. She felt so relieved that Debbie knew the truth; she would no longer have to keep secrets or lie about her past or her home. She could be herself and that felt truly liberating.

Debbie gave Lou a soft kiss, “Damn, I never thought of actually living in some rich folk’s house. Maybe I should be the one learning from you.”

Lou chuckled, “Seems we make quite the team.”

“We should be partners,” Debbie stated and she had been thinking that exact thought ever since that night that she had met Lou at the bar.

“I thought we were.” Lou teased despite knowing exactly what it was that Debbie meant.

“Partners in crime.” Debbie sighed with an eye roll.

“You mean like Bonnie and Claudette?” Lou tried to sound sarcastic but she couldn’t disguise the enthusiasm in her voice which only led to a wide grin in return from Debbie.

“Totally, we’ll be unstoppable! Everything we make we’ll split evenly, it’ll be perfect. What d’ya say?” Debbie asked, her words tumbling out of her mouth excitedly as she started to imagine just how invincible she and Lou would be as a team.

Lou couldn’t help but smile at seeing Debbie’s excitement and really, there was no chance that she would ever turn down an offer such as the one that Debbie had presented her with. “I say let’s fucking do this.”

Debbie pulled Lou closer to her, her lips crashing into hers with a hasty ease. “You’re everything that I’ve ever wanted.”

“Right back ‘atcha.” Lou smiled, her forehead still touching Debbie’s. “First line of business is that heist of yours.”

Debbie stood up straighter at the mere mention of the currently unplanned heist and Lou did the same, getting the feeling that Debbie was onto something. “I’m glad you mentioned that because I have an idea.” Debbie leaned across to where Lou was standing and started to rummage through the post which was still scattered messily across the worktop.

“I’m listening,” Lou replied and watched as Debbie rooted through the mess, wondering what it was that she could possibly be looking for.

Debbie clutched a pale blue cardboard invitation and handed it over to Lou. “While I was not snooping around, I saw an invite for ‘Mrs. Kluger and guest’ to a Tiffany’s party introducing the elusive white gold diamond ring.”

“And you’re thinking we should go and take the ring for ourselves?” Lou finished and started to fan herself with the invitation.

“Exactly, I mean, we could replace the actual ring with a fake. I don’t want them hosting a party for nothing; I’m not a total monster.”

“Holding a party for a dollar store ring is better than no ring at all.” Lou offered and was quickly beginning to warm up to the idea of the heist. “When’s the party?” She asked and ceased from fanning herself with the invitation and started to look for the date of the event.

“Next Friday which gives us just over a week to plan,” Debbie said and Lou nodded before putting down the invitation. “I’m thinking of going blonde for the occasion, what do you think?”

“I think that would be pretty hot.” She was quickly beginning to realize that there was a lot of acting involved in Debbie’s line of work which made it all the more exciting.

Debbie placed a hand on her hip and started to reel off a list of things that they would have to consider in regards to the heist, “Obviously we’ll need new dresses. Fake I.D’s I can get from this guy I know. We need to know what this ring looks like and then find a fake which looks like it and then it’s just the old swap around trick.”

“Right, the old swap around.” Lou held in her laughter, Debbie was beginning to sound like the true old-school criminal that she more than likely was.

Debbie raised an eyebrow at Lou’s response before her stomach growled. “Baby, you really need to get some food in. I can’t plan on an empty stomach.”

Lou shook her head with a smile and reached down to the cupboard below where they were standing. “I have candy?” She pulled out a handful of treats before giving them to Debbie.

“Candy for breakfast, that’s, uh, different.” She gave a Hershey’s bar a once over before shrugging and taking another one from Lou.

“I’m not big on breakfast.” She closed the door and placed another couple of candy bars in Debbie’s arms.

Debbie’s eyes widened, breakfast being her favorite meal of the day, “Madness.”

“How about we have breakfast and then we start planning after we’ve fed you?” Lou grabbed a couple of candy bars from Debbie and led the way through to the living room.

“That’ll work.” Debbie had already opened one piece of chocolate and had flopped down onto the couch as soon as she was close enough to it to do so.

After two and a half candy bars, Debbie had decided that she was full and Lou had found herself becoming fully amused by her eating habits. Debbie pulled herself up and stretched before walking over to the stereo in the corner of the room. She switched it on and ‘Take on me’ by A-Ha filled the room. “Nice tunes?” Debbie laughed and Lou groaned in response.

“Donna has it tuned into some crappy station which only plays songs that I hate.”

“Sure, whatever you say. This one ain’t so bad and from now on it’ll always remind me of you.” Debbie teased before turning off the stereo and starting to browse through the bookshelves which lined the back wall.

Lou stood up and stretched her arms out above her head, “That’s insulting.”

Debbie turned to her, a question popping into her head. “What’s the first thing that you’re gonna buy when we complete our heist?”

She walked out to the kitchen and raised her voice slightly so that Debbie would still be able to hear her. “Coffee which is also what I’m gonna get now.”

Debbie shook her head, “What would be the first thing you buy if like we get a million bucks?” She returned to her previous position on the couch and made herself at home by kicking her feet up onto the table in front of her.

Lou thought for a second and grabbed two mugs from the cupboard while waiting for the coffee machine to cooperate. “A Kawasaki KZ 1000 motorcycle. My dad had one; I used to ride on the back of it all the time as a kid. He taught me how to ride a bike when I was like twelve.”

Debbie smiled, impressed by the new information that she had learned. She had never been on a motorcycle herself but she had always wanted to try. “Breaking the law as a preteen, my girl’s hardcore.”

“Says the born thief.”

“Touché”

“What about you? What would you buy?” Lou asked and poured out the coffee once it was ready.

“I dunno. Maybe my own place so I can get away from my parents. Danny keeps talking about moving out and when he goes it’s gonna be even more insufferable.”

Lou walked back into the living room and handed a mug of coffee to Debbie. “You and Danny are close, huh?” She asked and sat down beside Debbie once again.

Debbie nodded and clasped her hands tightly around the warm mug. “Yeah, I mean we fight sometimes but I know he always has my back. You should meet him some time, you guys would get on.”

“You think?”

“For sure, you both adore me for starters.”

“Ah, a common ground.” Lou smiled and took a cautious sip of her drink. “Do you think your parents would like me?”

Debbie snorted, “My parents don’t even like me.”

“I’m sure they do, Deb.”

“They have a funny way of showing it.” Debbie paused and looked over at Lou; “Shit, I’m sorry. I know I’m lucky to still have both my parents around.”

“It’s okay, really. I like hearing about your family, gives me a sense of normality.” Lou placed her coffee down on the table and reached for the packet of cigarettes and lighter which sat on the edge of it.

Debbie had to laugh at that, her family and the word normal were rarely mentioned in the same sentence. “Yep, us Oceans are just your typical nuclear family.”

“Practically the Brady Bunch.” Lou smirked and lit a cigarette, offering one to Debbie who politely declined.

Debbie sipped on her coffee, her eyes glued to Lou who seemed to smoke in a way that was so majestic that it almost made her forget how much that she hated the habit. Her morning had been completely unconventional and she knew that when she returned home that she would be faced with a hundred questions but she didn’t seem to care. Being with Lou was like living out a fantasy, she could forget about her family and the pressures that they put on her and she could just be herself. Then there was the added bonus that she and Lou were now partners and she knew that that could only lead to good things, two heads were always better than one, after all.


	8. Just Can't Get Enough

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a fun chapter before we get into full heist mode, enjoy!

Debbie had started pacing from one side of the room to the other. Danny was watching her with an amused expression which grew each time that she noticed that he was staring and would send him a glare in response. “Why are you so nervous for?” He asked her after the third glare that he had received from his younger sister.

Debbie stopped and leaned against the wall behind her. “I’m not nervous,” she answered and folded her arms over her chest. “I just don’t want them to give Lou a hard time. You know how they can be.”

“Is this why you’ve never brought anyone home to meet them before?” Danny stood up from the table and walked over to join Debbie on the other side of the room. “I’ve told them to go easy on both of you.”

Debbie sighed, she knew that she was more than likely thinking that things would be worse than they actually would be but she could never be too sure. After she had spent the night at Lou’s, her parents had insisted that they meet her and of course, the Ocean’s idea of meeting their daughter’s girlfriend would result in hours of interrogation and the last thing that she wanted was for her family to scare her off. “You know, I don’t really care what they think.”

“Sure you don’t and you don’t wanna join our next heist either, do you?” Danny matched Debbie’s stance and folded his arms over his chest.

“Shut up.” Debbie sighed and a noticeable pout appeared on her lips.

Danny looked over at her; he had seen that she hadn’t been herself lately. He assumed that it had been due to the heist situation but maybe it was more so to do with their parents and how they seemed to practically ignore her the majority of the time. Whatever it was, he hated to see his sister so down. “Hey, remember that dinner we had when I had to tell mom and dad that me and Tam were official?”

“Yeah,” Debbie laughed at the recollection. “Mom nearly had to go to the ER cause she was choking so hard on that piece of carrot.”

Danny, too, started laughing as he remembered just how badly that particular meal had ended. “Exactly, nothing can be worse than that. Quit stressing.”

“Thanks, Dan.” She smiled at him before glancing over to the clock which hung on the living room wall. Lou would be there at any moment and the smell of her mom’s cooking was already beginning to filter through from the kitchen.

Debbie hadn’t been the only one who had been stressing about the Ocean’s lunch date. Lou had been on edge ever since she had first been told about the meal. Debbie had mentioned a casual lunch that the Ocean’s were holding in Lou’s honor a couple of days before. Debbie had said that it was ‘totally lame’ and it was 'no big deal’ but Lou had never met a girlfriend’s parents before so to her it was definitely going to be a big deal.

She had spent the last two days shopping. Firstly, she had gone with Donna but had come home empty handed due to her friend being strictly against shoplifting. It hadn’t been a complete failure though as she had been able to try on clothes and receive an honest opinion all the while being able to fill in Donna on everything Debbie related. The day after she had returned to the chosen stores and had stolen everything that she had previously taken a liking to. She had no idea how formal the lunch was going to be and so she decided to play it safe and wear something that she knew that Debbie would love.

It had taken her a little longer to find Debbie’s apartment than she had expected. Debbie’s neighborhood was much bigger than her own and it turned out that most of the townhouses down her street all looked extremely similar. Once she had finally found the correct house, she rang the doorbell and tried not to feel too nervous while she waited for an answer. ‘Just be yourself,’ Debbie had told her, but Debbie’s family wasn’t just any old family and she wasn’t sure that being herself would cut it with the Ocean’s.

The sound of the doorbell caused Debbie to stand upright and she made her way through to the hallway with Danny just behind her. Angie opened the door and Lou appeared with all four Ocean’s staring back at her.

“Holy shit,” Debbie said under her breath upon seeing Lou’s choice of clothing. Lou walked inside and was all smiles while she shook hands with both Angie and Johnny. Debbie continued to stare, her eyes dragging over every inch of her girlfriend. She wore a chestnut brown suit which fit her supremely and it was by far the best thing that Debbie had ever seen her wear and she always wore great clothes.

Danny was looking between Lou and his sister and nudged Debbie’s elbow. “You never told me she was such a slick dresser.”

“I, umm. No,” Debbie stumbled over her words and still remained standing in the corner of the room. Danny walked forward and introduced himself to Lou, extending his hand and whispering something in her ear which made her laugh and look over at Debbie. That caused Debbie to stir out of her trance and step forward herself, linking her arm into Lou’s once she had reached her. “Ignore whatever it was that he just said; it probably wasn’t true.”

“All I said was that she was a sharp dresser and that you thought so too.” Danny smiled innocently at his sister before following his parents through to the kitchen.

“Am I overdressed?” Lou asked looking down at herself and suddenly feeling a little self-conscious. She looked at Debbie’s floral dress which was considerably less formal: maybe she _had_ overdressed for the occasion.

Debbie shook her head immediately, “No, no you look great. More than great actually.” She kissed her cheek to stop herself from babbling further and started to usher Lou through the corridor. “Let me show you around.” She said, escorting Lou as far away from the kitchen and her parents as she could.

Lou nodded and sent a passing glance through to the kitchen. Debbie’s parents seemed nice enough so far and Danny seemed exactly like a big brother would be. She knew that she was the guest though and that people always seemed to be friendlier and less genuine when a guest was in their home.

Debbie led Lou throughout the rooms of her house; her arm tightly linked with Lou’s as if she was worried that she would leave her side at any given moment. Each room that Lou was shown seemed to impress her more and she couldn’t seem to get over just how many possessions occupied their home. Every room seemed to be full of extravagant items, pianos, chandeliers and most importantly diamonds. It seemed that everywhere that she looked there were diamonds.

Debbie had hurried the house tour and had made sure to leave her bedroom until the very last. “Okay, it’s a bit of a mess but I couldn’t be bothered to tidy up.” Debbie slowly opened the door to her room, being unnecessarily dramatic for no apparent reason.

Lou soon found out that by describing her room as being ‘a bit of mess’, she had actually meant that it was spotless with the exception of a couple of discarded magazines that sat on her bedside table. “My favorite room,” Lou smiled as she scanned her surroundings; everything about the room was so typically Debbie, from the generously filled walk-in closet to the cream desk that was lined with a string of expensive perfumes.

Debbie closed the door behind her and waited until Lou had turned around before wrapping her arms around her waist and pulling her closer. “I can’t believe you wore a suit. Like are you trying to fucking kill me?”

Lou rested her hands on Debbie’s waist and pulled a face of mock innocence. “What do you mean?”

“You look so hot,” Debbie whispered against Lou’s lips and pushed her backward until her back hit the wall. “So hot,” she repeated and ran her hand up and down the crisp white shirt that covered Lou’s chest.

“I should wear suits more often, huh?” Lou grinned and pulled Debbie’s hips closer to her; Debbie’s perfume already washing over her and causing her to let out a soft moan.

“Please, wear more suits.” Debbie breathed, her hand moving lower and untucking Lou’s shirt while the other was placed on the wall behind her. “I would _so_ appreciate it.” She slowly leaned forward and pressed her lips against Lou’s hungry ones.

Lou’s hands traveled up over Debbie’s back and she deepened the kiss, her entire surroundings seeming to disappear as soon as her lips had touched Debbie’s. She shivered as she felt her cool hand touch the base of her stomach and she couldn’t hold in that second moan from escaping.

Debbie made light work in unbuttoning Lou’s shirt, silently thanking her for keeping her blazer undone so that she didn’t have to deal with another barricade. Once she was successful, she slid her tongue over Lou’s lips and she accepted only too willingly. She squeezed her breast, their kiss deepening with each varying touch that she gave her. The only thing that was on her mind was Lou and only Lou.

“Yo, Deb. Are you deaf? Food’s ready.” Danny called out and knocked once on the door, opening it before he had even received a response. Debbie leaped away from Lou, whipping her hand out of Lou’s shirt so fast that she hurt her shoulder in doing so. “Oh. Fuck, sorry!” Danny averted his eyes to the ground while Lou hastily started to fasten the open buttons of her shirt. “Uh, yeah lunch is ready.” Danny cleared his throat and had to bite down on his lip to stop himself from laughing.

“Yeah, we got it. Get out of here, dickbrain!” Debbie yelled and could feel her cheeks burning from embarrassment.

There was an uncomfortable moment of silence while Lou tucked her shirt back in and Debbie did her best to decrease her rapid heartbeat. Lou soon caught Debbie’s eye and the two of them both erupted into a fit of giggles. “That could’ve gone better.”

“No duh,” Debbie laughed and tucked her arm safely back through Lou’s. “Let’s go get this dinner over with. Just ignore Danny, pretend he’s not there.” She already knew that her brother would use this as ammunition for at least the next decade and knowing Danny he would start teasing her about it right away.

“Harsh,” Lou replied but was happy to comply because she was sure that she would never be able to look Debbie’s brother in the eye ever again after that embarrassing exchange.

The kitchen table had been laid out as if the Ocean’s were going to be hosting royalty. Lou took a moment to survey the table settings, each setting had a range of different sized cutlery, a clothed napkin and a wine glass positioned next to a glass of water. She assumed that this was just regular lunchtime manner for the family as none of them seemed to bat an eyelid and Debbie took to her assigned seat without so much as a seconds hesitation. “You’re next to me,” Debbie rested her hand on top of the chair which was Lou’s for the day.

“Great, thanks.” Lou sat down in her seat which was opposite Angie while Danny sat opposite Debbie which seemed to amuse him greatly. Johnny sat at the head of the table, like a King who would watch over his people.

The meal started off pleasantly, light topics of conversation were exchanged while the starters were being finished and Lou felt comfortable enough sitting at a table full of Ocean’s. Debbie would often rest her hand on top of Lou’s and she didn’t know whether it was to comfort her or herself but she appreciated the gesture nonetheless.

It wasn’t until halfway through the main course that the real questions began to start. Angie stabbed a potato with her fork and smiled an over-familiar smile across the table at her guest. “So Lou, is it just Lou or is that short for something?”

Lou swallowed her mouthful before looking up at Angie, “I just go by Lou.”

Lou’s reply seemed to draw Johnny away from his food and he placed his fork down. “Oh like Prince. You know I met him once, fun guy.”

“Dad has also met President Reagan, not so fun,” Danny added, he and his father had met a number of notable people; it was surprising who they could run into mid-heist.

“That’s awesome.” Lou contributed; the names of people of such high status doing little to make herself feel worthy in the family’s presence but she kept a good front. Debbie once again squeezed her hand and she sent her a smile in response.

“What do you make of President Reagan?” Johnny asked, his own opinion of politics and the president being strong.

Lou shrugged, politics was something that she wasn’t really that interested in and she admittedly knew very little about the president apart from the fleeting newspaper headlines which she had read about him. “I, uh...”

“Dad, chill with the politics,” Debbie interjected, sensing that politics was the last thing that Lou wanted to be discussing.

Angie nodded, “Lou’s from Australia, they have different politics over there.”

“I’m still getting to grips with US politics.”

Danny smiled, finding the perfect opportunity to wind his sister up. “What was Australia like? Was there like kangaroos in your backyard? Must be like, impossible to get laid with those hosers hanging around all the time.” He raised an eyebrow at Debbie before laughing to himself.

“Danny, shut the hell up.” Debbie scorned and kicked him under the table which only caused him to laugh even more.

“What? It was a valid question. You know there’s hardly any privacy anywhere nowadays.” Danny said through broken laughter and noticed that both Lou and Debbie were now staring intently at their plates of food.

“Danny’s right, it’s interfering with work. There are cameras everywhere,” Johnny agreed, completely missing what it was that Danny was insinuating towards. “It’s like that book, you know the one.”

“Nineteen eighty-four.” Lou said quickly, happy that the topic had been successfully changed.

“Yeah, Orwell. She’s smart, Debs. Hold on to her.”

“I plan to.” Debbie looked over at Lou with a smile.

“That’s not all you got planned is it, Deb?” Danny joked once again.

“I’m actually gonna kill you.” Debbie pointed her dinner knife in his direction.

“That’s enough, both of you.” Angie chastised and looked at both of her children in turn. “Now, Lou; tell me, what are your intentions with our daughter?”

“Mom!” Debbie whined and looked desperately at her father who had averted his interest back to his food.

“Deborah.”

“Can you not do this?”

“It’s okay, really.” This time it was Lou who rested her hand on Debbie’s. She had expected this question; it was the only one that she had known would be asked. “I guess the main intention I have with your daughter is to make her happy. Whatever she wants, I’ll get it for her, no matter how hard it is to do so. I’ll have her back if she needs me to, I won’t let anyone hurt her and if they do, well they won’t be around to tell the story for long afterwards. She deserves the best and I plan on giving that to her.”

Danny nodded, “Nice answer.”

Johnny had looked up almost as soon as Lou had started to speak and he was now smiling in her direction. “Well, I like her. Don’t you Ang?” He asked his wife who was still pondering over the answer that she had received from Lou.

“You certainly seem to care for my Debbie and that’s all I ask.”

“Absolutely, Mrs. Ocean.” Lou smiled sweetly at each parent in turn before looking back at Debbie who was looking at her as if she had just found the cure to some incurable disease.

“You are so getting laid later.” Debbie whispered and kissed her on the cheek which she knew would cause Danny to look away from them.

Angie took a sip of wine, placing the glass down gently after she had swallowed. “Where was it that you said you live, Lou?”

Lou paused, a slight sense of panic hitting her. “Oh, um just across the park from you. West side.” She answered vaguely, not wanting to give too much away but knowing that she had to give some sort of an answer.

“Nice area, you’ll have to show us around there if we’re ever over that side.” Johnny suggested and Angie stood up to begin to clear away some of the empty plates.

“I’d love to.” Lou said with a perfect smile, hoping that situation would never actually materialize.

“Hey mom, do you need a hand with the dishes? Debbie can’t help because she already has her hands full.” Danny smirked at Debbie who rolled her eyes and did her best to ignore him.

“Mom, Lou and I are gonna have dessert later if that’s cool?” She stood up from her chair and Lou did the same just moments afterward.

“If you have to, Debbie,” Angie replied as she walked back over to the table.

Lou smiled again at Debbie’s mom, “Thanks, Mrs. Ocean. It was a lovely dinner.” Angie smiled in response and took the empty plate which was sitting in the space that Lou had occupied.

Debbie thanked her mom also and grabbed hold of Lou’s hand, waiting until they were halfway down the corridor before she started to speak. “You are _soooo_ good with parents; I don’t know why I was so worried for. And I have an idea; we should murder my brother instead of hitting Tiffany’s. What do you think?”

Lou laughed with a shake of her head, “Honey, I’d rather get a diamond than a body. And he’s kinda funny.”

Debbie seemed to consider the option before agreeing with Lou; “Diamonds are prettier than my brother, yeah I’d rather have diamonds.”

Debbie sauntered through her bedroom door with Lou just behind her. Lou closed the door and Debbie pressed play on her Hi-Fi system, making sure to turn up the volume of Madonna’s ‘Lucky Star’ so that no one, particularly her brother, would be able to hear what she was about to discuss with Lou.

“Is everything ready to go?” Lou asked, suspecting that Debbie was about to talk business with her.

“Yeah, here.” Debbie pulled out two fake I.D’s from the drawer of her desk and handed them over to Lou. “You are Mrs. Veronica Kluger but only in terms of the guest list. When you’re inside you are Heather Manson.”

Lou frowned and looked at both of the names on the cards. “You’re making me a Heather?”

“What’s wrong with being a Heather?” Debbie asked, genuinely not seeing an issue with the name.

“It’s a total airhead name.” Lou moaned but tucked both cards into her blazer pocket anyway.

“It fits you perfectly then.” Debbie smiled cheekily and received a light slap on the elbow from Lou. “I’m Madison Willis.”

“What are we wearing?” Lou asked, leaning on the side of Debbie’s desk.

Debbie walked over to her closet and pulled out two long evening gowns, one in silver and the other in black. “These. You can choose which color you want although now I’m totally regretting that I didn’t get you a suit.” Debbie hung the dresses beside one another on the closed door of her closet.

“I’m not even gonna ask how you scored these.” Lou looked on at them in wonder; they looked expensive, like high- end designer expensive.

Debbie shrugged and walked back over to Lou. “Are you excited?”

“Totally psyched.” She stood up from the desk and linked her hands into Debbie’s.

“Me too. I can’t wait to steal shit with you.”

“You’re so romantic.” Lou smiled and once again, her lips found Debbie’s.


	9. Causing a Commotion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Andddd it's heist time!

Lou had heard many things about the Plaza Hotel in the past. She had heard that it was glamorous, magnificent and that it was the absolute definition of wealth. She realized, whilst standing in the hotel lobby that everything that she had heard about it had been true. She glanced up at the ceiling which was designed using the finest architecture that she had ever seen and that was only decorated further by a number of crystal chandeliers that glittered above her head. “This place is massive, I feel like my whole town back home could fit in this lobby alone.” She said to Debbie while still marveling her surroundings. She couldn’t help but notice that Debbie didn’t seem quite as enthralled by the grandeur.

Debbie followed Lou’s gaze toward the chandeliers and nodded in agreement, “Yeah it’s pretty huge ain’t it? Have you been here before?” She asked and wondered how all of this must seem to Lou; she had grown up in this world, Lou however, had not.

Lou shook her head; she couldn’t even imagine how much it would cost to spend even a night at such a hotel. “No, have you?”

“A couple of times, we stayed here when our house was getting renovated. That’s why I’m wearing the wig, you know, just in case.” Debbie raised her eyebrows and resisted the urge to fix her wig, not wanting to make her disguise too obvious. Lou had chosen the black dress which left her with the silver one and the dress already seemed to draw more attention to her than she had wanted it to.

She wasn’t surprised that Debbie had been there before; it was definitely a place that she could see the Ocean’s fitting in. She, on the other hand, felt nothing but out of place. She swallowed and readjusted her dress for what seemed like the hundredth time that evening. She felt ridiculously uncomfortable and had Debbie not been with her then she probably wouldn’t have even made it through the front doors. “I dunno if I’ll ever get used to being in places like this.”

Debbie gave into temptation and gently pushed her blonde wig a centimeter to the side, hoping that nobody would see. She sent Lou a small smile, she often forgot that this was Lou’s first heist and maybe things would seem a little weird for her. “It’s easy to adjust to wealth, it’s the other way around that’s hard but we won’t need to worry about that.”

Lou smiled back, hoping that Debbie was right. There was a sudden movement in the queue and she and Debbie moved a couple of inches closer to the function room where the party was taking place. The last few days had been spent finalizing details. Debbie had visited Tiffany’s on a number of different occasions and had collected a flyer advertising the new ring which was expected to be the biggest trend of the year. The flyer helped them detail the ring and find a replica. It was Lou who found the $15 copycat ring in a pawnbroker’s in Lower Manhattan. It wasn’t a perfect match but it was good enough.

Debbie wore the ring on her index finger, making sure to keep her hand hidden as much as she could. She slipped her hand down into Lou’s, their linked fingers doing enough to hide the details of the ring. Lou had gone back to staring at the walls, a look of apprehension seeming to replace her usual confidence. “You’re nervous aren’t you?” Debbie said in a hushed tone, not wanting for anyone around them to hear their conversation.

Lou shook her head, instantly denying the fact. “I’m not nervous.” She hated that word and she hated the feeling even more so. During the time of her father’s trial she had been nervous and every time that she saw him he had shared that same feeling. The last image she had of him was when he had been given that guilty verdict and he had been literally shaking with nerves.

Debbie kept her eyes on Lou; to anyone else, she would have appeared confident. She was standing up straight, her poker face permanently in place but she knew her better than most now and she had already identified Lou’s ‘tell’. “You keep staring off into space.” It had been a dead giveaway to her because most of the time Lou was completely focused on either her or their surroundings.

Debbie was correct but she denied it anyway. “I don’t.” She said firmly, she didn’t want to ruin the heist and she definitely didn’t want Debbie to think that she wasn’t up to the challenge.

“You do, we’ve been in line for five minutes now and you’ve been zoning out for at least four of them.” Debbie continued to push her; she knew that nerves could ruin a heist. It had been one of the first things that she had learned from her father, he still, to this day, would tell her and Danny about the time that his heist was ruined because of how nervous their Uncle Carl had been. Debbie had always felt bad for Uncle Carl because since that one heist which he had gotten nervous during, her father had all but disowned him. The last that she had heard of him was that he was living in Minnesota, conning old people out of their pension money. Uncle Carl was certainly a cautionary tale.

Lou sighed; there was no way that she could convince Debbie otherwise. “I might be a tiny bit nervous.” She admitted and looked over to Debbie, not knowing what her reaction would be.

Debbie squeezed Lou’s hand tightly and looked her in the eye. “Don’t be, we’ve got this. We’ve planned everything and we both know what we gotta do. You’re a great thief and so am I and it’ll all be over within a few hours’ time and then we can spend the whole night celebrating.” Debbie could see the smile start to form on Lou’s face and she really hoped that some of Lou’s nerves would begin to dissipate. “And if you wanna back out then I won’t be mad, I promise.” She added and sent Lou a reassuring smile of her own.

It was funny how just a few sentences from Debbie had made her feel a lot better about things, something as simple as a single compliment from her made her feel on top of the world. She wasn’t going to be backing out of this heist; “No, I’m ready for this. I’m tired of being some nobody runaway.”

“You were never a nobody runaway.” Debbie said assertively and hated that Lou’s self-esteem actually wasn’t as high as she had first thought. She made a mental note to talk about that fact with Lou at a later date but until then she knew that all her focus had to be on the heist.

The line seemed to move faster all of a sudden and Debbie’s hand slipped out of hers as they approached the woman who held the guest list. Debbie put on her usual charming front and Lou had to try her hardest not to stare at her the whole time. Instead, she copied her and complimented the venue and matched that false airy laugh which Debbie had mastered so well. It was surprisingly easy to be somebody else and the woman barely even checked the name on her I.D card before letting the two of them into the party.

The party hall was even more impressive than the lobby had been. The room was decorated in the traditional blue and white of the Tiffany’s brand. Balloons lined the ceiling and there were white tables surrounded by blue chairs that framed the large dance floor in the center. At the back of the room was a table serving champagne and opposite the table stood a pedestal with a larger than usual blue Tiffany’s box on top of it. Light chit chatter could just be heard above the jazzy beat of Sade’s ‘Smooth Operator’. The whole scene looked as if it was something out of a movie and strangely that came as somewhat of a comfort to Lou.

Debbie linked her hand into Lou’s once again and headed toward the champagne table at the back. “Come on, Heather. These parties always have the best champagne.” She smirked at her, knowing that she hated the name that she had been given.

“How many of these parties have you been to, Madison?” Lou rolled out the name and Debbie couldn’t help but laugh at the tone of voice that she had used.

She helped herself to a glass of champagne from the table and handed one to Lou. “I’ve never been to a Tiffany’s one but most of the people here are the ones that go to every party going.” She and Lou walked to the side of the dancefloor to get a better view of the party. Debbie nodded in the direction of a slim man who was surrounded by a group of girls. “Like that guy over there, he’s super-rich cause his parents own like, half of Museum Mile. He’s a total loser though; Danny said he pays people to hang out with him.”

Lou looked the guy that Debbie was referring to up and down, “That’s pretty sad.” She replied and she didn’t know why it was that that fact had made her feel a little better.

“Yeah and see, her?” Debbie pointed at a tall woman in her fifties and Lou turned to face her. “She’s an alcoholic, my mom made me go to some luncheon last year and she was there and she passed out in the bathroom.”

“Wow, I would have never guessed,” Lou raised an eyebrow and noticed that the woman had polished off her own glass of champagne in mere seconds.

“Yeah, it’s like they think they’re better than everyone else cause they’re rich but actually they’re just as fucked up as the rest of us.” Debbie sipped on her champagne and hoped that her insights had helped Lou feel more comfortable in her surroundings.

“What about that guy?” Lou asked and pointed toward a blonde guy with glasses who was leaning against the wall.

“That’s Charles Raymond, he’s an artist. He’s just opened a new studio in West End Avenue so that’s why he looks particularly arrogant tonight.”

“Artists are the worst.” Lou took a couple of gulps of her champagne, the drink a lot sweeter to the alcohol that she was used to.

“Tell me about it.” Debbie turned her nose up at the artist and quickly finished her own drink. “Okay, how are you feeling?” She asked Lou who already seemed a lot more focused than she had done before.

“Ready,” She handed her empty glass to Debbie who discarded both glasses back onto the table beside them.

Debbie returned seconds later and slipped her hand back into Lou's, she stood closer to her than before and kept her voice low, “You know what you’re doing?”

Lou nodded and leaned even closer to Debbie, making the most of their close proximity. “Yeah, making sure all eyes are on me and not on you.” She whispered against her cheek, her finger beginning to twist the fake ring which was still sitting safely on Debbie’s finger.

Debbie swallowed and tried to keep her mind on the heist and not on Lou’s warm breath against her skin. “I’m like getting flashbacks of Bloomingdale’s right now.” She smiled as she thought of that encounter which seemed like such a long time ago now. She and Lou had certainly come a long way since then.

Lou also smiled; she had no idea back then just how important Debbie would become to her. “Hopefully I can cause a distraction just as well as you did.”

Debbie turned her head so her lips were just inches away from Lou’s, “Oh, I know you can.” She whispered and lingered for a couple of seconds before abruptly moving backward. “I’m gonna get into place, meet you in the bathroom afterwards, yeah?”

Lou slowly loosened her grip on Debbie’s hand and she slipped her fingers free. “Good luck.”

“Baby, I don’t need luck.” Debbie winked confidently at Lou before walking off to stand by the pedestal which held the desired ring. Any doubts that she had completely vanished and now she couldn’t wait to make that ring her own.

Lou returned to the champagne table, unfortunately, it looked a lot sturdier than she had hoped. She had already decided her plan of action though and all she needed was for someone to approach the table and she would ‘accidentally’ bump into them with such vigor that it would knock her back into the table. She would need to be sure to hit the table with such a force that the glasses would fall, causing a spectacularly loud crash which would cause the entire room to look her way and that would be when Debbie would make her move. It all seemed so simple; they had done all of the hard work already, hadn’t they?

Lou reached across for a glass of champagne so it looked like she had a reason to be at the table in the first place. She glanced over her shoulder at Debbie who was doing her best to inconspicuously look at the Tiffany’s box while also trying to remain aloof and as distant as she possibly could. “Oh, sorry miss.” A voice said as her hand brushed against someone else’s.

Lou looked toward the voice, recognising it straight away. “Danny?” She panicked and was certain that beneath the grey wig and behind the fake mustache was Debbie’s older brother.

The equal look of shock on Danny’s face confirmed that it was indeed Danny Ocean. “Lou? What are you doing here?” He asked, Lou being the last person that he had expected to see.

Lou took a deep breath, having no idea what to say. Her first thought was Debbie and her heart suddenly started to ache, she knew that there was only one reason that Danny would be at that party, it seemed that Debbie wasn’t the only Ocean who had desired the Tiffany’s diamond. “I was invited.” She replied and she knew that the only thing that she could do now was protect Debbie from being any more hurt than she inevitably would be.

Danny raised a suspicious eyebrow, Lou and his sister had been practically joined at the hip recently and he knew that wherever Lou was, Debbie was never too far behind. “Are you with Debbie?”

“She’s my guest,” Lou answered and again tried to remain as discreet as possible.

Danny frowned, knowing his sister despised social events such as this one. “Deb would never willingly come to one of these unless… Wait, are you planning something?”

“Are you?” Lou asked but she already knew the answer. She prayed for Debbie’s sake that she was wrong but really, there was no other excuse for Danny to be there.

Danny laughed, having just covered his father’s back. “We did, dad’s literally just left with the ring.”

“Shit.” Lou instantly turned toward Debbie and just at that moment Debbie had turned to her. Danny, too, was staring at Debbie and when Debbie saw that her brother was with Lou, it hadn’t taken her long to realize what had happened.

Debbie balled her hands into fists and turned away from her brother, heading for the doors as hastily as she could do. She needed to get out of there and she needed to do so quickly. She swept through the doors and didn’t seem to be bothered by the cool breeze which hit her as soon as her feet hit the concrete. She ran in the direction of the park, her feet taking on a mind of their own as they raced through the busy streets, people dodging her as she pushed past them.

The park looked peaceful even in the light darkness which had now enveloped it. It was a beautiful night and usually, she would have made the most of it but all she could do at that moment in time was wish that she was anywhere else but New York City. Debbie collapsed on to the first bench that she saw and let out a loud sob as she did so. She was humiliated, deflated and utterly livid that her family had beaten her to it. This was her heist, hers and Lou’s and yet in a blink of an eye, it became her Father’s and Danny’s. All of her hard work and planning had been for nothing and it was made all the worse that it had been them who had ruined it for her.

She pulled off her wig and threw it into the bushes behind her. She tore out the hairpins from her head and let her natural hair fall down her shoulders, shielding her tear-stained face from any passers-by. She looked down at that stupid ring on her finger and tugged it off, throwing it as far as she could into the distance. She buried her head into her palms; she had never felt so worthless before.

Lou had tried to keep up with Debbie and she had been calling her name the whole time that she had been chasing her. She had left Danny at the doors of the Plaza, promising him that she’d find Debbie and look after her. She was so angry at him despite the fact that he hadn’t known what she and Debbie had been planning. She reached the entrance to the park, positive that she had seen Debbie heading towards it. “Debbie?” She called out but all she could hear was the noisy traffic of the city behind her.

Lou stopped and looked around her, noticing a figure on one of the benches not too far ahead of her. It had to be Debbie. She jogged toward her and the closer she got to her, the angrier she felt towards her family. “Deb?” She called when she was close enough for her to hear her.

Debbie looked up, the only person that she could stomach being around was Lou. “I can’t believe they beat me to it.” She said quietly and Lou rushed to her side and wrapped her arms around her shoulders before she could say another word.

“Fuck them, seriously. We can think of something better, I promise you.” Lou said with such urgency that it made Debbie raise her head from her lap and look at her with a broken hopefulness.

Lou wiped away the tears from beneath Debbie’s eyes and rubbed her thumb tenderly over her damp cheek. “Maybe this is a sign for me to just give up.” Debbie uttered quietly and felt completely defeated.

“You can’t give up on what you’re good at.” She looked at Debbie, seeing her more vulnerable side was painful. It was almost as if she could feel the pain that she was going through herself. She knew how badly Debbie had wanted this.

Debbie sniffed and tried her hardest to regain her composure, “I’ll never be as good as them.” She sighed quietly and her shoulders seemed to slump on their own accord.

“No, you’ll be better.” Lou leaned forward and softly kissed Debbie. She wished that she could have changed things, she wished that she could’ve known that the Ocean’s had also planned on hitting Tiffany’s. She wished a lot of things but unfortunately, all she could do now for Debbie was to be there for her and that’s exactly what she planned on doing. “Let’s get out of here; you’re staying with me tonight.”

Debbie stood up with Lou, her strong arms once again wrapping around her shoulders. They walked in silence and although Debbie’s night had been truly dreadful she couldn’t hide the faint hint of a smile that she felt appear on her lips. She had Lou and she was the only person that she needed. Her family were now a second thought and she wrapped her arm around Lou’s waist pulling her closer to her side. She could have said it right then, she could have told Lou that she was in love with her in that very moment but she knew the recollection of it would only be tainted by the failed heist. So instead, she bit her lip and continued to walk with Lou, their dresses shining in the moonlight each time that it hit them. She had all the time in the world to tell Lou how she felt and they had all the time in the world to pull off the perfect heist.


	10. Don't Dream It's Over

“I need a drink,” was the first thing that Debbie had said in about fifteen minutes; the welcoming warmth of Lou’s apartment greeting her as soon as she stepped foot through the door.

Lou smiled; at least Debbie was talking now. The entire walk home had been silent and the only thing that kept it from being unpleasant was the way that Debbie would continually snuggle herself closer to her. “Drinks I can do,” Lou replied and headed to the fridge which was full of beer, as usual. She pulled out a couple of bottles placing them on to the unit. She looked over at Debbie who had remained standing by the door, her arms folded across her chest and her eyes glazed over as she stared at the carpet. Maybe beer wouldn’t quite cut it.

Lou cleared her throat to grab her attention. “What’s your poison?” She asked before finding the stronger alcohol that she had hidden in one of the cupboards.

Debbie slowly walked over to the kitchen and rested her elbows on the unit, leaning towards the beers on top of it. “Whatever makes me forget about this whole mess the quickest.”

Lou decided that the spirits were definitely the better option so took a bottle of Jack Daniels out from the cupboard and found a couple of shot glasses to accompany it. “You’re a whiskey girl, aren’t you?” She asked but she didn’t really need to, seeing as she remembered Debbie had been drinking the spirit on the night that she has seen her at the bar.

Debbie nodded and collected the beer from the table, following Lou through to the living room. Her mind had been replaying the incident over and over again for the past ten minutes and she couldn’t seem to dispose of the image of her brother staring at her from across the room. He had a look of shock foremost but there was also a look of pity behind his eyes and that was the look which made her the most annoyed. Had she have messed up her heist herself then she would’ve been mad but it wouldn’t have stung anywhere near as much as it did knowing that everything would have gone to plan had it not been for her family.

Lou felt pretty much helpless as she watched Debbie languidly sit down beside her. She wasn’t exactly good at cheering people up; she wasn’t exactly good at most social interactions actually. It was something that she was working on. “Do you wanna talk about it?” She offered and reached for the bottle of whiskey.

“There’s not much to say other than we got screwed.” She leaned forward as Lou poured the drinks, watching closely as the brown liquid filled up the glass. “And I hate my family.”

Lou pushed a dangerously full shot glass over to Debbie and filled another one for herself. “I really don’t think they knew that we were planning on stealing the ring.”

“Probably not but they’re always one step ahead of everyone else, even me.” Debbie waited until Lou had hold of her own glass before slinging the glass back and pouring the liquid down her throat. She closed her eyes as that familiar burning sensation warmed her up inside. “If they'd let me know what they were planning then this never would’ve happened.” She placed the empty glass down on the table and waited until Lou had drunk her own drink before reaching for the bottle and pouring another two drinks.

Lou didn’t say anything as she watched Debbie masterfully pour the whiskey without spilling a single drop. She wondered how they would have been celebrating had the heist been successful. She assumed that it would have been champagne that they would be sipping on instead of swigging back months old whiskey. For once, she would actually prefer the champagne. “We need to plan something that they would never think of.”

Debbie handed Lou her glass back to her and snorted as she tried to think of a single thing that her family wouldn’t have. “So like, no money, no diamonds, nothing which we could sell or make money from...” She shook her head and shot back another mouthful of the drink.

“Yeah, it’s not gonna be easy,” Lou said quietly and drank her own drink at a significantly slower pace than Debbie had just done. She saw Debbie about to lean forward again but stopped her by wrapping an arm around her shoulders, halting any movement which she was about to make. “Danny won’t tell your dad that we were there, will he?”

Debbie turned toward Lou and placed her hand on Lou’s free one. “I hope not, I’ll never live it down.” She hadn’t actually thought about that but she hoped that Danny would stay quiet. He would if he knew what was good for him.

“He did seem worried about you when you left.”

“So he should.” Debbie’s head went back to the image of her brother in his lousy disguise and it left a bitter taste in her mouth. “Let’s talk about something else. I want to know more about you.”

“You already know about me, there’s really not much else to tell.” Lou instantly started to tense up but she didn’t know why; she had told Debbie everything that she had lied about. Maybe, it was the truth that scared her more; lies came so naturally to her but the truth, sometimes, that was even harder to get out.

Debbie felt that shift in Lou’s demeanor and pulled away from her slightly, not wanting her to feel uncomfortable. “What were you like in school? Would we have hung out?” She asked and made the most of the free space by, once again, reaching for the alcohol.

Lou chuckled as she thought back to her high school days, a wave of relief flooding over her by the generally easy topic of conversation. “Probably not,” She said and accepted the alcohol that Debbie was offering her.

Debbie frowned, feeling slightly offended that Lou wouldn’t have been her friend at school. “Why not?” She knocked back another drink before hearing Lou’s answer.

“I was more of a John Bender in high school.” Lou shrugged, playing down the rebellious phase that she had gone through in school when she had just moved to New York. She had grown up a lot since then thankfully.

“I wasn’t totally innocent in high school either, y’know? I got detention like all the time.” Debbie threw back her drink and looked at Lou as if she was challenging her to do the same.

“For stealing kids’ homework?” Lou asked with a smirk and finished her drink.

“Funny.” Debbie leaned forward and grabbed the bottle, filling up her and Lou’s glasses.

Lou waited until Debbie had discarded the bottle on the table before she spoke again. “I would’ve had a crush on you in high school though, for sure.”

“Cheers to that.” Debbie clinked her glass against Lou’s and they both drank their liquor. Debbie was already beginning to feel a little happier and she placed the glass back onto the table. She waited until Lou had done the same before she wrapped her arms around her neck and pulled her closer to her. “I’m glad that you were there tonight.” She sighed softly and brushed her lips against Lou’s.

“I’ll always be there for you,” Lou whispered against her lips. She threaded her fingers through Debbie’s hair and pulled her in even closer, stealing a kiss which Debbie only deepened further.

After a few minutes of making out, Lou pulled away and tucked a loose strand of Debbie’s hair behind her ear. She excused herself for a moment and left Debbie alone on the couch. Debbie grabbed the bottle of whiskey and started circling the rim of it with her index finger, her thoughts wandering back to the things that she didn’t want them to. She took a couple of sips from the bottle, her anger towards her family threatening to rise again.

Lou returned wearing a grey sweater over the top of her dress and handed another sweater to Debbie. “Easy with that stuff.” She motioned toward the bottle of Jack that Debbie was clasping onto.

Debbie placed the bottle down onto the table while she put the sweater on and smiled as she smelt Lou’s familiar scent wash over her almost immediately. She reclaimed the bottle and took a long gulp. “I’m never talking to them again. I’m disowning them all, even Danny.”

Lou sat down in her previous spot beside Debbie and lit a cigarette. “You’re so not. I won’t let you.” She breathed in the smoke and placed the packet of cigarettes and her lighter onto the table.

Debbie took another swig of whiskey. “I am so. They’re bad people. You know, if it wasn’t for them teaching me to be a thief then I could’ve been a straight A student, a law-abiding citizen.” She raised an eyebrow at Lou, “Law-abiding.” She repeated and took another sip of whiskey.

Lou laughed and shook her head at just the thought of Debbie leading a normal life. “You wouldn’t want that, you would hate that.”

Debbie sighed dramatically, “Would I though? Sure it’d be boring and I’d have a boring job and talk to boring people. But. Wait, I forgot my next point.”

“Yeah, you’re taking a break from that shit.” Lou took the bottle of whiskey from Debbie and placed it on her side of the table, just out of Debbie’s grasp.

Debbie barely seemed to notice and heaved herself up from the couch. “I could be a cop; I’d be such a great cop.” She wandered across the living room, “It’s so cool that you live here.” She stopped just in front of the bookshelf and ran her index finger over the titles, attempting to read them despite her vision being somewhat blurry.

Lou watched Debbie, almost as if she was in a trance. “If you were a cop you’d probably have to arrest half of your family.” She pointed out and took another long pull of her cigarette.

“That would solve our current problem,” Debbie laughed as she imagined arresting her father. She could picture it so clearly, her mother would be yelling at her and her father would be telling her that he was revoking her allowance. “Would I have to arrest myself to? And you? That would be no fun.”

Lou nodded, “’Fraid so.” She stubbed her cigarette out in the ashtray and took a swig from the whiskey bottle.

Debbie headed to the record player and struggled for a few moments to get the record to start playing. A few sighs and a couple of curse words later, she had managed to get the record to start. “Finally,” She whispered and turned around to face Lou with a triumphant grin on her face as the intro to Michael Jackson’s ‘Bad’ started to play.

“Dance with me?” She asked and skipped over to where Lou was sitting, narrowly dodging the side of the table at the very last minute. She stretched her hands out to Lou who couldn’t seem to resist the hazy-eyed brunette in front of her and placed her hands into hers as soon as she had offered. She pulled Lou up from the couch, “Please?” She smiled as soon as Lou was standing and practically fell into her open arms.

“You know if you wanted to get close to me you coulda just asked.” Lou teased and wrapped her arms tightly around Debbie’s waist.

“I always want to be close to you, all the time.” She rested her hands on Lou’s forearms and stood on her tiptoes so that her lips reached Lou’s.

“Likewise.” Lou smiled against the gentle kiss that Debbie had given her. Debbie’s hands soon left her arms and traveled up her neck which she let them loosely drape around.

“I never had you down for a Jackson fan,”  Debbie said just as the song started to reach its chorus.

“This definitely ain’t my record.” She felt Debbie’s hips pushing against hers and swallowed, knowing exactly what it was that Debbie was trying to do.

Debbie reached for a loop of Lou’s hair and twiddled it between her thumb and her forefinger. “Sure baby, totally believe you.” She kissed her once again, her body pressed up so close to her that she could feel the sequins from the bottom of Lou’s dress scraping against her leg.

Lou tightened her grip around Debbie’s waist, her warmth radiating from her more and more with each second that passed. “The Kluger’s left it, I swear.”

“You’re secretly a big fan, admit it. You have that glove thing and you know the moonwalk and everything.” Debbie chuckled, still trying to find that inner nerd inside Lou which she knew had to exist somewhere.

Lou laughed with a prompt shake of the head. “We should totally steal that glove.”

“Oh my god. We should steal the glove.” Debbie stopped swaying and pulled away from Lou slightly, standing up as straight as she could. Her eyes were wide and a smile grew on her face all the while the next song on the album started to play.

Lou hadn’t expected such a reaction from Debbie and she dropped her arms to her side. “I was joking, babe.” She recognized that look in Debbie’s eye though; she was already starting to plan. 

Debbie shook her head, “No, it’s genius. _You_ are a genius. No one will ever think to steal that and like everyone knows what it is. It’s a cultural staple and we need it.”

“Wow, you’re actually serious.”

“You gotta think outside the box sometimes and this is like out there.” She stretched her arms out for emphasis before missing Lou’s touch and linking her fingers into hers.

Lou was still not sold on the idea and hadn’t even considered that Debbie would have taken her joke even remotely serious. “And how do you suppose we go about getting this glove?” She asked, partly humoring her and partly curious to see whether this ‘joke’ could, in fact, lead to a genuine heist.

Debbie hummed, her concentration was definitely not at its best but she tried to think through the alcoholic haze which seemed to be clouding her head. “Well, we just need a way into his circle.”

Lou smiled from just looking at the concentration on Debbie’s face. She had a deep frown on her forehead and she was biting the inside of her cheek as if she was trying to remember a specific calculation. “You mean like getting backstage at a show or some shit?” She asked and had a feeling that this kind of heist was just as new to Debbie as it was to her.

Debbie nodded, taking Lou’s idea and rolling with it. “Yeah, he must be at Madison Square Garden soon, he’s always there, right?”

Lou shrugged, wondering if Debbie had actually believed that she was genuinely a big Michael Jackson fan, which she most certainly was not. “I guess, is that easy to get into?”

“Not really, I mean, I’ve never actually tried.” She started swinging their joined hands to and fro, the motion seeming to help her think.

“We could be venue staff?” Lou suggested, her eyes falling to their hands.

Debbie sighed; however hard she seemed to try she could still not think as precisely as she wanted to. She let herself fall against Lou once again and of course, Lou caught her right away and wrapped her arms safely around her. Debbie released a soft hum and looped her arms around Lou’s neck once again, taking on their previous positions. “That would get us in but not into the restricted section. And MJ is like mad famous; he probably has like a billion bodyguards.”

At this point, Lou was simply following Debbie’s lead in both conversation and movement. “So there’s no way we can get past them?” She asked as Debbie subtly pulled Lou closer to her.

“There’s always a way, baby and I’m gonna find it tomorrow when we’ve stopped dancing.” She looked up at Lou who was already looking down at her with a smile on her face.

“You’re so cute, ya know that?” Lou received an eye roll in response and she rested her forehead against Debbie’s.

“Ugh, you’re the only person whose ass I won’t kick for saying that.”

Lou smiled; she had missed seeing that fire in Debbie that she adored so much. “I’m just glad that you’re happier and that we’ve got a new idea.”

“The best one yet.”  Debbie reveled in the feel of Lou’s breath against her lips and she kissed her when she could no longer resist the urge to any longer.

Lou continued to hold Debbie, her lips brushing against hers every few seconds, leaving her with a series of small, loving kisses. She still found it weird how easily it had been for her to adjust to her new way of living. It seemed as if everything had fallen into place as soon as she had met Debbie. She had never really found her place in the city, not until now that was. Standing there in Debbie’s arms, she felt safe, happy, loved; she felt invincible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really didn't mean for this chapter to turn out as cute as it did...


	11. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'

Lou slipped her hand effortlessly into Debbie’s as they entered Tompkins Square Park. The gentle breeze was tugging at the sides of her jacket but it provided her with the perfect amount of coolness to survive the warm day. They had just paid a visit to one of her old work colleagues who also happened to be a big fan of Michael Jackson. They had only spoken with her for five minutes but from that short conversation, they had gained a lot of valuable information. They had found out that Michael would be performing at Madison Square Garden in just under two weeks’ time and this performance was to be a special one in which he would be inviting local choirs to perform on stage with him.

Upon finding out that knowledge, Debbie had almost squealed with excitement and she was still buzzing from receiving that particular piece of information. “No way is he getting the Manhattan choir to perform with him. Damn it, why did I quit that place?” She kicked a pine cone across the grassy path, watching it as it raced ahead of her in twists and turns.

Lou had only just taken to the idea of the MJ glove heist, having still thought of it as a joke for the past few days. Debbie had talked her into it though and they had found that there was quite a market for celebrity memorabilia. A smirk covered her face as soon as Debbie mentioned that she was in a choir, something that she couldn’t even imagine. “Wait, you were in a choir?” She looked at Debbie with a look of disbelief.

Debbie groaned, knowing that she would have to come clean to Lou. “Tammy and I joined for extra credit in high school but then I realized I was tone deaf and quit halfway through the first practice.”

“Who’s Tammy?” Lou asked, staring ahead into the distance as they walked leisurely through the sparsely filled park.

Debbie paused for a couple of seconds before answering, Tammy was a lot of things. “She’s um, she dating Danny. We used to be friends.” She tried to say the last part as casually as she could; they had been friends after all.

Lou hadn’t picked up on the awkwardness in Debbie’s answer; instead, she was focused on their ticket backstage. “She still in that choir?”

“Yeah, looks like I got some making up to do, don’t it?” Debbie laughed tentatively, she knew that she had to make up with Tammy sooner or later but she always figured that it would be later, much later.

“Why did you guys fall out for?”

“She ditched me for Danny. We were like super close before.”

Lou turned her head to Debbie who was already looking back at her. “How close?” She asked and was unable to mask the slight hint of jealousy in her voice.

Debbie came to a sudden halt which caused Lou to stop as well. She looked Lou in the eye, wanting her to know that she was the only person for her; she would always be the only person for her. “Not you and I close babe, you have nothing to worry about, promise.” She held onto her gaze for as long as she could and received a smile from Lou; she hoped that was enough. The last thing that she wanted was for Lou to start questioning her feelings toward her, when really she had never had such strong feelings for another person, ever. “She was just, I don’t know, she was the first girl I ever had feelings for.”

Lou looked away. “Oh, she’s special, I get it.” And she did get it but it didn’t mean that it hurt any less. She knew that she shouldn’t be jealous of a girl that Debbie used to have a crush on but she couldn’t seem to help it.

“We never did anything and we were just kids so...”

Lou shrugged, trying to forget about her sudden bout of jealousy. “It’s okay, I get it. And she’s with Danny now so it’s cool.”

Debbie watched as Lou kept her eyes focused on the trees ahead of them, she had started to walk again and Debbie was right beside her but this time their hands weren’t linked. “Exactly, she and Danny are a good match but don’t tell either of them that I said that.” She laughed again to try and lighten the mood but Lou’s cheer was noticeably void.

“Do you think that she’ll get us in with the choir?” Lou asked, adopting Debbie’s ‘business first’ stance.

“Definitely, she’s practically an honouree Ocean. She’s helped Danny out a bunch so I’m sure she’ll get us in if I ask her to.”

“Okay, that’s great.” Lou continued to stare ahead, knowing that the end of the park was near; the noisy city making itself known to her once again by the sound of the taxi horns and the building work which was taking place on a nearby apartment building.

Debbie could tell that Lou was still bothered and she hated that she had caused her to doubt things. “Hey, I haven’t thought about Tammy in that way for years.” She stopped and pulled Lou toward her. Again, she was tempted to say those all-important three words but again she stopped herself. “You are my girl, my only girl.” She smiled softly, settling with those words instead, she wanted the timing to be absolutely perfect for when she did take the next step in their relationship.

Lou sighed, feeling like an idiot for even thinking that Debbie could like somebody else. “I’m being an asshole, we all have old flames. Come on, lunch is on me, well, the Klugers.” She looped her arm into Debbie’s and led her out of the park. She still knew the area pretty well from when she had used to work there and she knew the exact place to take Debbie for food.

Debbie had dragged out their lunch date for as long as she could and Lou knew exactly why that had been. She was trying to put off talking to Tammy. Over lunch, Debbie had filled her in on the details of their past and she came to realize that Debbie’s feelings from five years ago had long changed but maybe she did miss having a friend in her life. They were now walking slowly to Debbie’s house which had just come into view at the end of the street. “Are you worried that things aren’t going to go according to plan?” Lou asked as Debbie stopped for the fifth time to tie her already tied shoelace.

Debbie bent down to the ground and played around with her shoelaces, untying and then retying them each in turn. “I hate apologizing, I never do it. You know, Tammy and I haven’t even spoken properly in forever.”

Lou waited until Debbie had stood up again before she started to speak. “Just tell her the truth.”

“She’s gonna know I’m only saying sorry because of our heist.” Debbie carried on walking at a slower than usual pace but Lou kept in tempo with her. She was finding Debbie’s nerves to be almost endearing.

“Are you?” She asked.

“I mean, I did act immaturely and I probably would apologize sooner or later. But like, we need her help now so.”

“She’s dating Danny, she’ll get it. Just tell her what you just told me.” Lou smiled encouragingly as they reached the door and Debbie let them inside.

The house was quieter than usual, Debbie knew that her parents were out which was why she had suggested that she meet up with Tammy at that current time. Her relationship with Danny still hadn’t quite returned to normal and she barely looked at him when she and Lou walked into the living room. Tammy was sitting beside Danny and she waved to Debbie and Lou. “Lou, this is Tammy. Tammy, Lou.” Debbie introduced them and was pleased that Lou had managed a smile in Tammy’s direction.

Lou gestured for Danny to follow her into the kitchen and he did so almost immediately. Debbie watched wistfully until Lou was completely out of sight before she looked over at Tammy, who was sitting on the couch, her eyes glued to her hands which sat neatly in her lap. All she knew was that Debbie wanted to talk to her, she didn’t know why or what for. The tension between them was still awkward and she didn’t know quite what to do next.

Debbie sat down beside her on the couch making sure to leave sufficient distance between them. She wasn’t sure how to start the conversation, she had debated just being straight to the point with her but she did need her help so she decided that starting off with the apology was probably the better option. “I guess we have a lot to talk about, huh?”

Tammy nodded and turned on her side so she could face Debbie properly. “I guess we do.” She paused and waited for Debbie to start talking again but she seemed to be more focused on what was going on outside the window.

“How have you been, Tam?” She asked her, using her old nickname in attempts to revive the familiarity that they once shared. Her eyes drifted away from the window and settled on the blonde beside her.

“Good, you?” She answered shortly, for some reason the tension only seemed to build the longer that they spent with one another. Long gone were the days when they could spend hours within each other’s company. Debbie smiled at her and Tammy couldn’t help but notice that she looked just like Danny when she smiled. “I’m sorry about what happened at Tiffany’s.”

“Danny told you?” She folded her arms over her chest, defensive Debbie striking again. “He had no right to.”

“He was worried about you; I’m not going to tell anybody.” She should’ve known that was the reaction that Debbie would give her; she had always been that way. Only a few people ever got to see the real Debbie, the side of her which was honest, approachable, and free of any hostility. She used to be one of those people but it appeared that she no longer was.

Debbie brooded for a moment before ignoring the topic altogether. “I’ve been good.”

Tammy reverted back to staring at her fingernails, “Lou seems nice.”

“She is, she’s really great.” She found herself smiling as she thought about her girlfriend. Part of her wanted to tell Tammy all about her, about how she had met her and how perfect she was for her. She missed having a friend to talk to about things like that, she really did miss Tammy. “I um, I’m sorry.” She uttered, barely audible.

Tammy looked up then and pushed Debbie for more of an explanation. “Go on…”

“I know how much you liked Danny and I shouldn’t have let my jealousy get in the way of our friendship. I was wrong and I’m sorry.”

Tammy would’ve been lying if she said that she hadn’t missed Debbie. She had been the best friend that she had ever had and since they had stopped speaking there had been a massive friendship void within her life. “I’m sorry too. I didn’t want you to think that I chose Danny over you. You were my best friend, Deb.”

Debbie smiled, “Can we be friends again?”

“I’d like that; I’ve missed your crazy ideas. Or are you and Lou thinking of leading the simple life now?” Tammy asked, eager to find out all of the gossip about Debbie and her new girlfriend.

Debbie grimaced. “Don’t be obscene. Actually...”

“Ah, there it is.” Tammy looked at her pointedly; she should have known that Debbie would have an ulterior motive.

“What?” Debbie asked as innocently as possible.

“The real reason you apologized. So what is it that you want? What insane scheme are you thinking up now? And why do you need me?” Tammy asked, getting slightly agitated.

“Tam, come on. It’s not like that.” She tried to soothe her but her attempts came up futile.

“It’s exactly like that, I should’ve known.”

Debbie rubbed her temples; this had been the exact reason why she hadn’t wanted to talk to Tammy. She thought back to what Lou had said, maybe she should just be honest, at this point, she had nothing to lose. “Okay, it is like that but hear me out.” Tammy scoffed but waited to hear what it was that Debbie had to say. “I do need your help but I’ve wanted to make things up with you for a long time. This just gave me a reason to do that now.”

“What do you want?” Tammy asked, her curiosity getting the better of her as it always did no matter what Ocean it was that was planning something.

“The Michael Jackson show at the Garden. We need in.”

“We as in you and Lou?”

“Yeah, your choir are performing aren’t they?”

“You want me to sneak you both in with the choir?” Tammy raised a skeptical eyebrow, this potential heist seeming to be a step above the usual thefts that she was used to Debbie carrying out.

“Well yeah, I’ll give you a decent cut of what we make, I swear.”

“What are you even taking?”

“The glove.” Debbie said proudly, she knew that the idea was different from any of those that Danny would have had.

“You want to steal Michael’s glove?”

“Mhm, Lou’s already looking into Jackson obsessives who will pay thousands for it.”

Tammy considered the notion; she was certainly intrigued by the unusual heist plan. “It’s certainly an original idea.”

Debbie may not have spoken to Tammy in years but she still knew that look of confirmation. She had won her over and it had been a whole lot easier than she had anticipated. “So, are you in?”

Tammy wanted to say no but she was completely sold on the idea and it sounded as if she would have to do very little in order to get some fast cash. The whole thing also reminded her of the times when she and Debbie would sneak into places that they shouldn’t and that sense of nostalgia also helped her make her decision. “I can tell you when we’ll be arriving, what we’re wearing and what we’re performing but that’s it. My grandparents are gonna be in the audience and if they think that I’m into illegal activity then they’ll kill me.”

“That’s all I need to know, we’ll just join the end of your group when you guys walk in and then we’ll split, I promise. No one will know that you’ve helped us.”

“And I still get a cut?”

“You’ll still get a cut.” Debbie held out her hand and Tammy shook it firmly, the first piece of the puzzle falling into place.

Lou had been keeping Danny occupied in the kitchen while Debbie had been scheming with Tammy. They had planned on not telling Danny anything but he was already beginning to suspect that something was going on. He hoisted himself on to the kitchen unit while Lou remained leaning on the side of the refrigerator. “How’s Debbie doing after that little Tiffany’s slip up?” Danny asked, his legs swaying against the unit door in time with the beat of Cameo’s ‘Word Up’ which was sounding out of a speaker from the other side of the room.

Lou shrugged, not really wanting to discuss the incident that both she and Debbie would rather forget about. “She’s all right, you know Deb, she comes back fighting.”

“That she does.” Danny stopped swinging his legs and looked directly at Lou. “Not to pry but, you know I can help you guys if you’re planning something new?”

Lou could tell that Danny was still feeling bad about what had happened and she appreciated his offer. It was something that she and Debbie needed to do themselves though. “No offence but I think Debbie wants to do this without the Ocean input. Prove herself and that.”

Danny nodded; he had suspected that would be the answer. Debbie was still trying to make a name for herself in the family and if he did help her then it would surely take away some of her glory. “At least tell me the date so I can make sure dad’s got nothing planned.”

She considered this for a moment, weighing up the options in her head. Ultimately, she could see no problem in telling Danny the date of the heist and strangely, she seemed to trust him. “A week Saturday.”

“I’ll be sure to keep him busy.”

“Thanks.” Lou smiled at Danny; she could see the similarities that he had with Debbie. She often wondered what it would be like to have an older brother; it certainly would have made her life that little bit easier.

Danny could see that Lou’s mind had wandered to something else and he cleared his throat to grab her attention. “I can see why Debs is totally whipped with you. You get her, you embrace her inner criminal. She was obsessed with you like right away.”

Lou let out a quiet laugh and shook her head. “You’re just saying that to embarrass her.”

“Well, yeah. It’s also the truth though.” Danny smiled, he really was happy that Lou had come into his sister’s life. Debbie had never seriously dated anyone before Lou, he knew that she had a few flings but they had been trivial and had often ended almost as quickly as they had begun. No one had made such an impact in his sister’s life as Lou had and it warmed him.

Debbie and Tammy chose that moment to walk into the kitchen and Lou was relieved to see that they were both wearing a smile. Debbie walked straight over to Lou, wanting to share her news immediately but holding off from doing so as her brother was still nearby.

Danny hopped off of the counter and went to stand beside Tammy. He looked around at the circle which had subconsciously been formed around him. “This is nice. It’s like the Oceans, Generation Two.” He laughed and draped his arm around Tammy’s shoulders.

Debbie arched an eyebrow and looked at Danny before looking back at Lou with a slight look of embarrassment. “It’s nothing of the sort.”

“You girls wanna stay and watch a movie with us? I’m thinking the Witches of Eastwick would be perfect.” Danny grinned and pointed to each of them in turn; receiving another stern look from Debbie who was getting increasingly embarrassed by her brother’s antics in front of Lou.

Debbie shook her head; if she were standing closer to him then she would have hit him. “I’m sorry for my brother.” She said to Lou who had already gotten used to Danny’s brotherly banter.

“We should stay and watch the movie, we could always curse him,” Lou smirked and the line itself made Debbie laugh.

“I’m all for putting a curse on Danny.” Tammy added and she and Danny led the way to the living room to set up said movie.

Once they were alone, Lou pulled Debbie toward her, their chests touching. “How did it go?” She whispered, just to be sure that no one else could hear. It wouldn’t come as a surprise to her to find out that the Ocean’s had bugged their whole house.

Debbie didn’t seem to mind Lou’s sudden intimacy and she glossed her lips over hers. “All systems go.” She smiled, her eyes burning into Lou’s as they always did when they were this close to each other. “We should go and get this family movie time over with.”

Lou reluctantly pulled herself away from Debbie, now regretting the choice to watch a movie as it meant that she would have to spend ninety minutes trying to keep her hands off of her. She did, however, like the way that Debbie had called it a ‘family movie’; maybe they were becoming the Oceans Generation Two, after all.


	12. Smooth Criminal I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies in advance for all the bad jokes in this chapter!

The summer seemed to be extending itself that year. The sky was still blue and the air still muggy, and there was no sign that the leaves were ready to vacate from their branches just yet. September had taken its effect in other ways, crowds were less compact, kids were back at school and the usual nine to five workday was back into full effect for the majority of city workers.

September was just another month in the heist world though and the fresh thrill of their upcoming crime was already beginning to set in for both Debbie and Lou. They walked out of 34th Street subway station in unison, dressed in matching black ensembles. Debbie had spent the previous night at Lou’s and they had talked over every single ‘what if’ scenario that they could think of, Debbie was determined not to let anything or anybody ruin their heist this time around.

Lou was feeling much more confident for this heist compared to the last one. She treated the Tiffany’s fiasco as more of a trial run rather than a failure. She kept having to remind Debbie that what had happened hadn't been anybody's fault in particular and had just been a combination of miscommunication between her family and a very humorless coincidence. It seemed to slowly be working and she could see that Debbie was gradually beginning to patch up things with Danny.

They could see Tammy waiting for them on the corner of the street adjacent from the venue. She had wanted to meet them somewhere more covert but Debbie had insisted that no one from Jackson’s team would be around so early on in the day and thankfully, for all those involved, she had been correct.

“You two don’t look suspicious at all.” Tammy arched an eyebrow as she took in the matching black vest tops and jeans that Debbie and Lou were both wearing.

Debbie looked down at her clothes and then to Lou’s, “You told us to dress inconspicuous. This is inconspicuous.”

Lou nodded in agreement, “We were gonna go for camo but we wanted you to be able to see us.”

Debbie laughed; “Are these choir robes gonna be camo print? That would be helpful.” She asked looking at the bag on Tammy’s shoulder which held their costumes for the day.

Tammy held in her smile and forced an eye roll, still very much concerned that she would somehow be tied into this heist if it didn’t go according to plan. “I thought you two would be taking this a little more seriously seeing as it’s your first heist.”

“Did you forget to have your coffee this morning?” Lou teased, having struck up somewhat of a friendship with her during the Ocean’s movie date.

Tammy ignored her and instead, pulled the bag off of her shoulder, revealing two long blue robes. “Here are your robes. You need to wear them if you plan on getting in with us.” She handed one to each of them before pulling out her own and wrapping it around her shoulders.

Debbie held her robe up, trying to figure out which way up it went. “Major high school graduation vibes.” She shook it out once she had it up the right way around and put it on. “How do I look?”

“Never better,” Lou said while struggling to tie her own garment correctly.

Tammy waited until they were both correctly dressed before handing them each a lanyard with the name of their choir emblazoned across it. “You’ll also need these.”

“What are these?” Debbie asked as she took hold of the lanyard that Tammy handed her.

“Backstage passes, we all got given one so I made a copy for each of you.”

Debbie placed her head through the lanyard and smiled at Tammy. It seemed her old friend really did have her back after all. “Thanks, I didn’t even think we’d need these.” Debbie hummed and continued to stare at the pass which she was holding between her fingers; hopefully, this was the only oversight that she would experience.

Lou twirled the lanyard around in her fingers, she too, had not expected this addition and she was only thankful that Tammy had used her initiative and created a copy for each of them. “Do you know the schedule?” She asked.

“We have dress rehearsal at two and then there’s a lot of waiting around. Michael will be on at seven, it’s an early show because he has to catch a flight at eleven.”

“Awesome, the sooner we can get the glove, the better.”

Tammy looked over her shoulder as more of the choir started to arrive. “Remember what I said, nobody can link me to this, okay?”

“They won’t, we won’t even look you in the eye when we walk in with you guys.” Debbie assured her, Tammy’s work was done and now it was up to her and Lou to do the rest.

Tammy smiled, trusting that Debbie would do what she had promised. “Okay, well. Good luck. I have total faith in you guys.”

“Thanks for everything.” Debbie pulled her into a hug before she left them to return to her choir group.

Debbie and Lou waited across the street as more and more robed singers joined the small group outside of the venue. “How are you feeling?” Debbie asked Lou, already noticing that she seemed a million times more confident than she had done on their previous heist attempt.

Lou pulled her eyes away from the growing crowd and turned to Debbie. “Excited,” She smiled, her eagerness only growing when she saw that Debbie was sharing her grin. “I’m so amped for this.”

“Let’s go join the choir!” Debbie looped her arm into Lou’s before checking the traffic and jogging across the street with Lou. Lou’s excitement for the heist only added to her own; she could already see the impressed look on her father’s face when she handed over the iconic glove that belonged to the King of pop.

Debbie and Lou hung at the back of the choir group, luckily everybody seemed to be in their own groups and excitable chatter was escaping from almost everybody around them. Debbie spotted Tammy at the front, engaged in conversation with two girls of about the same age as them. It didn’t take long for a showrunner to appear from the venue and introduce himself to the choir.

Lou glanced at the behavior displayed by everyone around her and she copied their smiling faces and wide eyes. The showrunner, Tom, spoke for what seemed like an eternity, going over the protocol and the events of the day. They were told to stick together and Lou could see the eye roll coming from Debbie from over her shoulder.

Once Tom had finished with the rules, he let them into the venue in a single file line, checking their passes as they filtered through. Debbie held her breath as she walked by him and was thankful that he was in mid-conversation with another staff member while she and Lou passed. When they were the other side of the gate, Debbie flashed Lou a confident smile. She saw Tammy up ahead who had turned toward her and gave her a subtle wink.

Tom led them through the stadium which was huge and a whole lot bigger than it looked on TV. She was finally starting to see why Tammy didn’t want them to ruin her moment. Singing in front of so many people really was quite impressive and she was proud that Tammy got to do just that. They were led backstage which, again, was bigger than she had imagined and she was frantically scanning each crevice of the area all the while trying not to fall behind the group and drawing attention to herself.

Lou was a few footsteps behind Debbie and she had been ignoring practically every word that was being said by Tom. The backstage area was lined with black walls and there was a bunch of speakers to the side of them as they walked by. She noticed a discarded headset on one and took hold of it, sweeping it under her robe so that no one could see. She was sure that it would come in handy at some point.

Tom led the choir to one of the dressing rooms at the back and told them that they must all wait there when they weren’t on stage. His tone was firm and Debbie wanted nothing more than to see what his face would be like when he found out that the glove was missing. The dressing room itself was far too small to hold a choir of their size which worked in her favor because it meant that she and Lou could hang at the door without looking suspicious.

Tom’s dismissal was their cue to leave and they skulked out of the room as discreetly as possible. “Maybe we should try and steal Tommy a personality,” Lou smirked as she and Debbie found themselves back in the corridor which they were in just moments before.

“I don’t think any type of personality would make that dude smile.” Debbie said and looked down the part of the corridor which they had yet to venture down. One of those dressing rooms had to be the one assigned to Michael and she would place all her bets on it being behind the biggest looking door situated at the very end of the corridor.

“Hey, look what I found.” Lou pulled out the headset from under her robe and placed the headphones on. She pressed a few buttons on the receiver but nothing seemed to happen. “Figured it would be useful; if I can get it to work that is.”

Debbie watched Lou play around with the gadget and grinned at the hefty headset which took up half of her head.  “You look even more like a Dexter in those.”

“Don’t be baggin’,” Lou teased back and gave up with trying to get the receiver to work.

Debbie shrugged, “Keep me updated on MJ radio.”

“You think that’s his dressing room at the end?”

“One way to find out.” Debbie and Lou walked in unison towards the door, making sure to keep an eye out in every direction in case anyone else was around. Fortunately, the walk was short and there wasn’t a single other person in their proximity. When they reached the door, Lou wrapped her hand in her loose robe before turning the doorknob and letting them into the room. There was no doubt about it being the desired dressing room. Unlike the room that the choir was situated in, this room had everything.  She closed the door once they were inside and Debbie walked into the center of the room so that she could get a better look around.

It had white walls and the carpeted floor was soft and fresh, with the smell of popcorn seeming to be the dominant odor.  There was a leather couch to the side which was full of various sized cushions and a blanket. An open closet was beside the couch with empty hangers waiting to be filled with all of Michael’s flamboyant stage costumes. A large fridge and soft toys were also located in various areas and there was a basketful of candy sitting on the floor with all kinds of treats pouring out of it.

“This must be where the glove lives.” Lou pointed at the empty plastic stand that was in the shape of a hand. It sat in the center of the dressing table and was reflected multiple times in each mirror which lined the table.

Debbie walked over to where Lou was standing and assessing the glove stand. “It’s like they’re just handing it over to us.” She laughed and gave the stand a high five.

Lou clapped her hands, “I’m giving you a hand for that one.” She and Debbie both laughed some more, finding the whole situation to be a lot more humorous than it should be.

Debbie skipped over to the fridge and pulled it open. “I knew it!” She grinned and pulled out a bottle of Evian tossing it to Lou before taking one for herself.

“Knew what?” Lou asked and cracked open the bottle, taking a long sip of the water.

“He bathes in Evian, all celebrities do, don’t you know?” She closed the door and made her way to the candy basket, helping herself to a handful and stuffing them into her jeans pocket.

Lou continued to scan the area of the dressing table, finding various types of makeup and stage notes which were littered around by the end of the table. “Bingo,” she called out when she found the piece of information that she had been searching for.

Lou’s voice pulled Debbie’s attention away from the candy and she rushed back over to where Lou was. “What have you found?”

“Guess who has sound check at five?” She waved the piece of paper around and Debbie caught it, reading over it as quickly as she could.

Debbie placed the paper back down, “And he won’t be wearing the glove for that.”

“But the glove will be in the arena, sitting safely on its stand.” Lou motioned toward the stand once again.

“Until we rescue it from its life of performance and trade it in for some top dollar.”

“Some would say that we’re heroes.”

A loud buzz attacked Lou’s ears and she lifted the headphones off of her head. “Michael’s arriving at entrance B, all security to be there immediately.” A voice could be heard saying from the headphones. Lou turned to Debbie who was chewing casually on a mouthful of M&M’s.

“What do we do now?” Lou asked and wondered why Debbie was still so calm. She hadn’t expected for Michael to arrive so early.

Debbie swallowed her mouthful, “We hide.” She said simply but could see the slight worry in Lou’s eyes.

“What are you thinking? We just hide in the closet until we’re ready to make the snatch?” Lou asked, gesturing to the closet at the other side of the room.

“God, no. I spent most of my teen years in the closet; I don’t plan on getting back in there.”

“Deb?” Lou said firmly, waiting for Debbie’s explanation which she knew was coming because otherwise, she was sure that Debbie, too, would be panicking.

Debbie rested her hands on Lou’s shoulders and took a deep breath which Lou copied. “Have you noticed that it’s nearly all guys who work here?”

Lou frowned, still not knowing what Debbie was talking about. “Yeah, and they ain’t small either so if we get caught in here then it’s not gonna end well for us.”

“Which is exactly why we’ll be hiding out in the girl’s bathroom,” Debbie said and saw the worry begin to drain from Lou’s face instantaneously.

“What about if someone from the choir sees us in there?”

“They won’t, they have bathrooms in their dressing room which they aren’t allowed to leave, remember? There’s a separate bathroom for the stage crew, I saw it on the way in.” Debbie said somewhat smugly, pleased that she had taken the precautions that she had done on the way into the venue. Her original plan was to hang out with the choir but that would mean having to sing and having to avoid choir members asking who they were. This option certainly seemed like the better one.

Lou smiled, that was why Debbie was so calm. Of course, she had a plan. “Nice catch.”

Debbie pushed a strand of hair out of Lou’s eyes, “You weren’t panicking then, were you, babe?”

Lou scoffed, “No, of course not. Now let’s get out of here.”                       

Tammy had been trying to focus on the choir and the lyrics which had been circulating her head for months but she couldn’t help but worry about her friends. This seemed like a massive heist for Debbie and she knew that she’d likely end up in jail if it went wrong. She had only just got Debbie back and she was quickly becoming fond of Lou too, she would hate it if they both went to jail. Danny, too, would be completely inconsolable if Debbie ended up getting caught.

She sighed as the choir made their way to the stage to carry out their dress rehearsal. She was never nervous for Danny’s heists; they were always led by his father who knew every trick in the book. Even if he did get caught then he would be able to get away with it. Debbie and Lou did not have that knowledge; she could only hope that they would be able to pull this off successfully.

Lou and Debbie had snuck into the bathroom without being spotted; everyone seemed to be preoccupied with Michael’s arrival. The bathroom itself was reasonably small with only two actual stools inside of it. Lou had discarded her headset on the floor beside them and they sat under the hand dryer with their backs leaning against the wall. Debbie had spread out her candy stash on the floor and they had made themselves at home reasonably easily.

Lou took a bite of a Twizzler, “I wish we could just grab the glove now and run for it.”

Debbie placed a piece of gum in her mouth and rolled the wrapper up into a ball. “Patience is one of the key skills to have. Besides you should be thankful that we get to spend some alone time on a heist, that like never happens.” She squinted her eyes before throwing the wrapper into the sink.

Lou watched as Debbie blew a large pink bubble with her gum. From the other side of the wall, she could hear a piano starting to play ‘Man in the Mirror’. “Can you hear that?”

Debbie let her gum pop before nodding, “That must be the choirs. Let’s see if we can pick out Tammy’s voice.”

“That could’ve been you up there singing.”  
  
“I would literally drive people away the minute that I opened my mouth.”

“What made you become a thief anyway?” Lou asked, she had never really asked that question. She figured that Debbie had no other option what with her family being who they were.

“Well, my family, obviously, but I don’t know, I kinda love it. Like, that rush that you get when you do it, you know the one. That moment where your heart stops for a second and you forget about everything else that is happening around you. All you can think of is your goal, your plan, your success and how damn sweet it’s gonna be when you pull it all off. Or the short answer which is, it’s all I know.” Debbie shrugged; she hadn’t really considered anything else.

Lou smiled, not really expecting such a thought out answer from Debbie. “It is gonna be damn sweet when we pull this one off.”

“The first of many.” Debbie corrected and rested her head on Lou’s shoulder. Her thoughts wandered to all of the previous thefts she had made, nothing had been as big as this one. Her entire life had led up to this moment and yet she had never felt calmer. It seemed natural, Lou was by her side and they knew exactly what they had to do. There was something so relaxing about this heist, Lou seemed confident and that seemed to make her confidence grow even further. They brought the best out in one another and she imagined that was what the Ocean family heists must be like. Hopefully, she would get to find out for herself soon enough.

The comfortable silence was suddenly disrupted by the pushing of the bathroom door. Both Lou and Debbie froze, their hearts thumping against their chests. Debbie’s head began to spin with a million different excuses as to why they were in the bathroom. Lou pushed the candy beneath the bottom of her robe as quickly as she could before looking up to the person standing in the doorway.

“Oh my God…”


	13. Smooth Criminal II

“Oh my God!” Debbie stood up and rushed over to the open door. Her heart was still racing and it showed no signs of slowing down despite the relief that she felt upon seeing the intruder. “Tammy, you scared the hell out of us!” She grabbed hold of Tammy’s wrist and dragged her inside, closing the door firmly behind her.

Lou stood up, letting out a sigh of relief. “What are you doing here?” She asked, kicking the abandoned candy stash behind her.

Tammy looked between both Debbie and Lou. “I have to pee. What are you doing in here?”

Debbie rested her back against the door, still feeling wary in case anyone else needed a bathroom break. “You’re meant to be singing.” She watched Tammy as she stood by the mirror and primped her hair, feeling a little less uneasy when she continued to hear the sound of the choir performing from outside.

“And you’re supposed to be stealing.” Tammy looked at Debbie who was now joined by Lou and they were both looking a lot more suspicious than they thought that they were.

“We’re in the process. Are you peeing or not?” Debbie asked and couldn’t hide the irritation from her voice. She hated being disturbed and the intrusion had thrown her completely off balance.

Tammy shrugged and made her way into the bathroom stall leaving Lou and Debbie alone once again. “That was close, that could’ve been anyone coming through that door.” Lou whispered to Debbie and could sense the uneasiness which seemed to radiate off of her.

Debbie took a deep breath to soothe herself; she had already experienced enough interruptions when it came to her heists. “It’s fine, as soon as the choir are done, MJ has his sound check and that’s our cue to move.”

Lou nodded in agreement with what she was hearing. She paused for a moment until Debbie seemed to be more relaxed. “Were you thinking we were screwed?”

“I was a little worried.” Debbie replied honestly, knowing there was no use in lying to her partner.

“Why would Tammy wait for now to use the bathroom?” Lou asked, finding it strange that Tammy could have used the facilities at any time prior to when it was that she was scheduled to be on stage.

Lou’s question was one that she had asked herself too and she had a feeling that Tammy wasn’t being entirely honest with them. “I know exactly why.”

Tammy found two sets of eyes staring at her as soon as she exited the stall. “What?” She asked as she made her way to the sink to wash her hands.

“You came to check up on us didn’t you?” Debbie said flatly with her hands positioned on her hips.

Tammy ran the tap and placed her hands beneath the running water. “How was I to know you guys were in here?” She asked, adding soap into the mixture.

“I know you, Tammy, remember?” Debbie recalled a time during high school when Danny had been involved in a particularly big heist with her father. Debbie had been annoyed as she had spent the entire week before trying to convince Danny to let her be involved but, of course, her father had said no. Tammy hadn’t even been dating Danny at the time but she had insisted on spending the entire evening around the Ocean’s house until Danny had returned safely.

“Fine, I was worried about you guys. I was wandering backstage trying to find you. I came to hide in here so I wouldn’t get caught, I had no clue you were in here but I’m glad that I found you both and that you’re both alive.” Tammy shrugged as if it was no big deal and made her way to the hand dryer to dry her hands.

Debbie waited until the hand dryer had stopped before speaking again. “That’s cute that you’re worried but we’re professionals. You don't need to check in on us.” She smiled at her friend, appreciating the fact that she was looking out for them.

Tammy made her way over to where Debbie and Lou were still standing. “Danny will actually kill me if you guys get caught and that I never told him that I knew about any of this.”

Debbie shook her head, “We won’t get caught. Now, go and enjoy your moment with Michael.”

“Did I tell you, they’re letting the choir watch the sound check? It’s like our own private concert. It’s not too late for you guys to join us.” Tammy smiled hopefully but she knew there was no way that Debbie nor Lou would back out of the heist now, not when they had come this far.

“We got a job to do.” Debbie stated and Lou nodded, neither of them willing to back down.

“Okay, well, just promise me you won’t get caught?” Tammy said and looked to both of her friends who seemed a lot calmer than they had done when she had first entered the bathroom.

“We promise.” Debbie and Lou said in unison and Tammy left, having to take their word for it.

It had been about thirty minutes since Tammy had left and there had been no further interruptions. Both Lou and Debbie were getting impatient and they were thankful when they heard that familiar buzzing sound on the headset which was swiftly followed by the next announcement on Michael’s whereabouts.

“Are you ready?” Debbie asked after the announcement had been made that Michael was about to begin his sound check.

“I’m ready.” Lou countered back and walked over to the door, leaving the headset on the floor behind her.

Debbie leaped to her feet and followed Lou to the door. “Let’s go get ourselves that glove.”

Debbie slowly cracked open the bathroom door and looked through the tiny gap before making any further movement. She couldn’t see much but what she did see was a large vastness of dark objects with no humans in sight. She reached back and grabbed Lou’s hand, squeezing it tightly as she opened the door further.

Lou could see very little behind Debbie and she was eager to get this heist underway because she was quickly realizing that patience was not a quality that she necessarily possessed. Debbie’s hand was a welcoming support and she clasped onto it, the realization of the situation suddenly confirming itself.

As the door opened, the empty backstage area made itself known. It seemed bigger than it had done before and despite there being no people in view; there were voices that could be heard from every direction. Once they were out in the open, Lou positioned herself so that she was beside Debbie and each of them was looking over their shoulder to make sure that they were alone.

A voice came from behind Lou and she snapped her head toward Debbie who was already staring in the direction of where the voice had come from. Neither of them had needed to say anything and they both ran in the opposite direction and hid behind a curtain that hung to the side. They waited in silence, heartbeats racing as the owner of the voice walked past the curtain and continued on away from them.

They waited until the only voices that could be heard were in the distance. Music had just started to play, a guitar followed by a piano and then the unmistakable voice of Michael Jackson singing the opening line to ‘Billie Jean’. “I’m guessing just about everyone is preoccupied right about now,” Debbie whispered and pulled back the curtain to reveal the empty backstage area.

“The perfect time to make our move.” Lou grinned and they both started walking in the direction of the dressing room, making sure to continue to look over their shoulders just in case.

They turned the corner, about to progress down the home straight when someone caused them to halt. Standing in front of the door was a burly bald-headed man, his arms folded and his eyes fixed on the wall ahead of him. Debbie and Lou both pulled back, concealing themselves safely back in the empty corridor.

“What now?” Lou whispered and Debbie said nothing but raised a hand to her temple while she collected her messy thoughts.

‘What now?’ Debbie replayed the words over and over again in her head, all the while knowing that they were running out of time. She leaned closer to the wall and sneaked a quick peek around the corner once again, the guy guarding the door still oblivious to their presence. She turned back to Lou who was wearing that nervous expression that she had done prior to the Tiffany’s disaster. “Don’t panic.” She soothed, her hands finding each of Lou’s shoulders. “I have an idea.”

Lou soon found out that Debbie’s idea had meant that she would be taking on the lead role. Debbie had offered but Lou had all but insisted that she be the one to approach the bodyguard, it _had_ to be Debbie that claimed the glove. Lou had expected to be more nervous than she was, especially as she had left Debbie behind her. She was on her own now and she had a job to do, failure and letting Debbie down was not an option for her and that drive seemed to vanquish all of her nerves entirely.

It wasn’t until she was halfway down the corridor that the man saw her. His head whipped away from the spot on the wall and turned to her. His face was flushed with a sudden anger which seemed to dissipate when he saw Lou, her eyes sad and a noticeable limp was hindering her from approaching him further. She was still dressed head to toe in her choir clothing which seemed to benefit her plan as it hid her ‘injured’ leg. “Can I help you?” He asked her, the anger may have gone but a look of discontent was still very much present.

Lou looked up at him, her bottom lip being gnawed on by her teeth. She stopped a couple of feet away from the door, her right leg hovering slightly above the ground. “I’m looking for a nurse. My leg, I think it’s broken.”

The man looked down at her leg but could see very little due to the blue gown that was covering it. “The First Aider’s out front. You shouldn’t be back here.”

Lou shook her head, “I was just out there. I couldn’t find them.” She winced in pain and the man sighed. “It’s real bad.” She looked down at her leg, mostly to avoid making eye contact with him.

“Come on, I’ll take you to them.” He heaved himself upright and pointed in the direction that led back to the stage. “This way.”

Lou could feel her heartbeat increase, slightly surprised that this whole feat had been successful. She let the man walk ahead of her and she limped slowly behind him. “Thank you, I owe you one.” She gave a small smile which was quickly followed by a grunt of 'pain'.

Debbie had been smiling throughout the whole saga that had just been played out between Lou and Jackson’s bodyguard. Unfortunately, she hadn’t been able to see the encounter but she had heard almost all of what had happened and she was convinced that Lou could have a career in acting if the whole life of crime failed her.

Once Lou and the bodyguard had left the proximity, she made haste in getting to the desired dressing room. She ran on the tips of her toes, making as little sound as she possibly could and she reached the door in record time. She wrapped her robe around her palm before opening the door. It opened with ease and the first thing that her eyes were drawn to was the crystallized white glove which, as expected, sat perfectly on its stand.

She left the door open and continued inside. The dressing room looked different to how she and Lou had left it. There were clothes everywhere and suitcases and shopping bags were scattered across the expanse of the carpeted floor. Debbie tried her hardest to ignore them despite wanting nothing more than to root through each and every one of them. Instead, she headed straight toward the glove and reached out for it as soon as she was close enough to grasp it.

She touched it lightly, admiring each diamond that seemed to hit the light in a pleasing rhythm. Slowly she wrapped her hands around the base of the glove and gently pulled it off, making sure not to cause any damage to it. She lifted it up and it was much heavier than she had expected it to be. She smiled as she held it in both of her hands but her excitement was short lived as she knew that she had to make her escape. She held the glove tightly in her right hand before wrapping the robe over it to make sure that it would remain unseen.

She headed for the door and was relieved to find that the bodyguard had yet to return. She took a right and headed back in the direction that she had come from. The only exit that she was aware of was the one that she had entered in but she wasn’t worried about having to exit through the crowd as she knew that nobody would pay attention to a lone choir girl when a world-renowned pop star was on the stage.

As expected, she had made it down to the stage area without bringing any attention to herself. She could see Michael on the stage; he was engaged in conversation with the crowd of choirs, discussing the famous video shoot for 'Thriller'. Debbie ran down the side of the stage and was at the small staircase within seconds. Michael hadn’t spotted her and as far as she was aware nor had anyone else. She skipped down the stairs and as soon as she had hit the ground she had become camouflaged by hundreds of other choir robes which were all staring intently at the man on the stage.

Debbie waited for a moment and tried to spot Tammy in the crowd but she was unable to. She casually started to walk toward the exit and as she had expected, nobody approached her. She left the building with ease and her eyes were drawn to the blonde who was waiting for her from across the street.

Lou had been escorted out of the venue by one of the first aiders after promising them that her mom was coming to collect her and take her to A&E. Luckily the first aid team had been more focused on watching Michael Jackson perform than they had on her ‘damaged’ ankle and they had agreed with practically anything that Lou had said. It hadn’t come as a surprise to her to see that the first aider had raced back to the front of the stage almost as soon as she had stepped out of the venue.

She had been waiting across the street for Debbie for the past five minutes and she had become more and more worried with every passing second. She glanced down at her watch and when she looked up again, she saw a flash of dark hair racing towards her.

Debbie was sprinting across the street, her eyes gleaming and she wore a smile so wide that her cheeks must’ve hurt. Lou had a smile of her own on her face and she stretched her arms out as Debbie came colliding into her. Her arms wrapped around her and she could hear Debbie’s short, quick gasps as she tried to catch her breath.

“I knew you’d do it.” Lou said as Debbie pulled away from her and flashed her the glove which she was holding tightly beneath her robe.

“Couldn’t have done it without you and your busted leg.” Debbie laughed and passed the glove over to Lou so that she could admire it for herself.

Lou took the glove, shielding it with her own robe this time. “It’s even shinier than it looks on TV.” She handed it back to Debbie. “I bet you can’t wait to show it to your parents.”

“I can’t.” Debbie’s smile still remained and she propped the glove under her armpit so that it was away from any prying eyes. “But that can wait. I wanna celebrate with you first. Just me and you.”

Lou’s eyes were glued to Debbie, from the gentle pink flush on her cheeks up to the abandoned stray hairs which seemed to point out of her head in every direction. “You’ve been waiting your whole life to impress them.”

Debbie nodded, “I have and so another day won’t matter.” Her breath had finally returned to normal but her heartbeat was still racing and she had a feeling that it was due to reasons other than the successful heist that she had just pulled off.

Lou wondered why Debbie was putting off the reveal to her parents but didn’t question her any further, knowing that Debbie must have a good reason for it. “You never know, we might make the local news.”

“Global news even.” Debbie said and there was something that she really wanted to get off her chest but she didn’t know exactly how to say it. She had practiced it in her head multiple times but things always seemed different in reality. In her head, she hadn’t been saying the three words in the middle of a busy street with an uncomfortable glove digging into her armpit.

“Let’s get out of here.” Lou said and interrupted Debbie’s thoughts.

“Wait!” She called before her rationality had caught up with her. Lou’s eyebrows rose, wondering what the reason was behind Debbie’s spontaneous outburst.

“What?” She asked and looked back over to the venue fearing the worst. Nothing out of the ordinary seemed to be happening though and so she turned to look back at Debbie who was sporting an unreadable expression.

The words poured out of her mouth before she could stop them. “I love you.” There was a silence and Debbie panicked and felt the need to fill it to save herself from any unwanted tension. “I’m in love with you.” She uttered in a much more comprehensive manner.

Lou hadn’t expected to hear Debbie say those words but they were already her three favorite words that she had ever heard Debbie say to her. “I love you, too.” She replied in such a natural and effortless way it was as if she had been waiting all of her life to say them.

Debbie froze for a moment before realizing that this wasn’t all taking place in her head. She leaned forward and kissed Lou softly, her lips soft and refreshing. She could feel Lou’s smile against her lips and she closed her eyes to savor the moment; never had she ever been so happy before. At that moment, she had all that she had ever wanted; the love of her life, a successful heist and soon, she’d be a valuable member of the Ocean’s heist team.


	14. I'm So Excited

She had never been in love before but she had found that she had fallen hard and quick. It wasn’t after a grand gesture of love, it was simple yet beautiful. It was listening to the sound of her breathing, counting the scattering of freckles on her shoulder and experiencing the comfort that she was right there, lying beside her.

Debbie stirred, feeling Lou’s intense gaze washing over her. She turned to face Lou who, as she had expected, was staring right at her. A sleepy smile masked her features and she couldn’t help but smile back at her. “What?” She croaked; sleep still heavy on her voice.

Lou’s smile deepened, “Nothing, go back to sleep, honey.” A soft groan came from Debbie before she turned over and did just that.

Lou quietly made her way out of bed and pulled on a light sweater before she made her way to the kitchen. She had been grocery shopping since Debbie’s first visit and she planned on making her a more nutritious breakfast than candy bars, which she had eaten on the previous few occasions that she had stayed over.

They had spent the night celebrating together, just like Debbie had promised. Lou had never been happier and for once, she could actually see a future with somebody. It was scary but not in a bad way; it was more of an exciting, unknown anticipation of what was to come.

It hadn’t taken long for Lou to rustle up her specialty, two eggs, bacon and toast (minus the vegemite), with a glass of fresh orange juice to finish off the platter. Debbie had yet to make an appearance and so she brought the food to her, balancing the tray of food and juice effortlessly as she returned back to the bedroom.

Debbie stirred at the intrusion and the smell of the food hit her before anything else had. She smiled, her eyes slowly opening as Lou came into view.

“Thought I’d surprise you with some good Aussie grub.” Lou kicked the bedroom door shut behind her and went back to sitting on the bed beside Debbie. She sat the tray down between them and Debbie’s eyes practically lit up at what she saw.

“I love you.” She sighed happily and wasted no time in grabbing her fork and digging into the food that had been presented in front of her.

Lou laughed and brushed her elbow against Debbie’s. “I love you.” It was something that she would never tire of saying, or hearing for that matter.

A hum came from Debbie’s lips as she swallowed her mouthful. “You never told me you could cook.” She gave Lou a fleeting smile before digging her fork in once more.

“It’s just some eggs and bacon.” Lou shrugged; she had never really considered herself as being a good cook. She had always figured that it was one of those skills that she had just inherited from her father.

“Good eggs and bacon.” Debbie corrected her and offered her fork over to Lou who accepted and took a bite of bacon.

* * *

The glove was sitting proudly in the middle of Debbie’s dressing table after it had been escorted safely from Lou’s house via her shoulder bag. “It’s so pretty, maybe we shouldn’t sell it after all. It would make a good disco ball.” Debbie sighed dramatically as she admired her prize.

Lou was stood next to her, also admiring their treasure. “I found a guy who would give us ten thousand for it. He wanted to make sure that it was the real deal but I think now he’s seen the papers, he’ll definitely still take it.”

Debbie smiled as she looked at the front page of The New York Times which lay gloriously beside the glove. The headline: ‘ _Glove-Gate’_ screaming up at them in bold cursive. “We give Tammy one thousand and then the rest is split between us. Not bad for a day’s work.”

“I’ll call him later and arrange the details.” Lou tore her eyes away from the glove and looked at Debbie. “I still can’t believe we pulled it off.”

Debbie slipped her hand into Lou’s. The sentiment shared despite the fact that she was nothing but confident that it was going to be a success. “This is just the beginning.”

A knock at the door spoiled their moment and Debbie called for the person to enter. It was Danny and instead of entering, he hung at her bedroom door, leaning on the door frame. “I’m glad you’re not making out this time.” He smirked and Debbie glared at him while Lou looked in the opposite direction. “Dad’s home now, you said you wanted to talk to us all.”

Debbie grinned, she had been wondering how best to show off their success to her parents. She figured the best way was to gather them all together and show them the glove in all of its glory. “Can you get everyone in the living room? It’s important.”

“This better not be a Papa don’t preach situation.” Danny couldn’t help but joke with Debbie; it was the basis of their relationship after all.

“As if.” Debbie waited for Danny to leave but he still remained in her doorway wearing that impish grin. “Now would be good.” She raised her eyebrows and Danny soon got the message.

Danny made a show in heaving himself off of the doorframe and held his hands up defensively. “Okay, I’ll get them, chill.”

“Thank you, love you.” Debbie called after him as she heard him walking down the corridor.

Lou found Debbie’s relationship with Danny fascinating; as an only child growing up, she had missed out on all of that. “You and Danny have a great relationship,” she said to Debbie who had already turned her back to the door and was back to admiring the glove.  

Debbie guffawed; “Are you serious? He lives to torment me.” She rubbed her thumb over a small smudge on one of the diamonds that patterned the glove, making sure that it was in pristine condition before presenting it to her father.

Lou watched as Debbie primped the glove even though it already looked perfect in her eyes. “Yeah, but he adores you.”

Debbie considered that for a moment before agreeing. “True. I suppose he’s not so bad.” She stood up straighter, taking a step back so that she could view the glove properly. “How does she look?”

Lou took in the sparkle and undoubtable shine that the glove was possessing before coming up with the perfect way to describe it. “Like royalty.”

“Perfect.” 

Danny had called both of his parents into the living room and they were both sitting on the couch waiting to see what was going on. Danny was perched on the arm of the couch and he kept looking towards the door every couple of seconds to see where Debbie and Lou had gotten to. On about the seventh glance, Debbie appeared and she was wearing such a shit-eating grin that Danny had to do his best not to laugh. She marched in and stood in front of the occupied couch.

“Is there a reason why you wanted us all here, Princess? I have things to do.” Johnny said before Debbie had even opened her mouth.

“It won’t take long, I swear.” She said and looked over at Lou who was still at the doorway, flashing her a thumbs up. She took a deep breath before looking back at her parents. “You’ve all seen the papers today, right?”

Johnny nodded; “I read the papers every morning, you know that.”

Danny thought back to the headline that he had passed on that morning and then remembered that Lou had told him that she and Debbie had planned something for Saturday which had also been the day of the Michael Jackson concert. “I think I know where you’re going with this.” He said quietly and wasn’t even sure that anybody had actually heard him.

“So you would’ve seen the headlines involving a certain glove?” Debbie asked, the smile already starting to reform on her face.

“The Jackson glove? Yes.” Angie answered, a little impatiently.

“Well…” Debbie looked over to Lou with her arm outstretched and her parents and Danny also followed her gaze.

Lou entered from the other room, the glove held tightly between her hands. It seemed to sparkle brighter than it had done before. Debbie looked at her father; his mouth was slightly agape for a moment before a small smile appeared. Her mother had remained shocked for a number of seconds and Debbie could see that she was trying to play out in her head, how Debbie had succeeded in the heist. Danny was grinning from ear to ear and he leaped up from the couch and enveloped his sister in a giant bear hug.

“Deb, what the hell? I thought you were gonna steal a diamond not a whole damn piece of pop history!” Danny raved all the while trying to stop Debbie from fighting him off of her.

Johnny and Angie had both joined Lou and were both scrutinizing the glove. Lou passed it over to Debbie’s dad who was holding it up to the light and she couldn’t help but feel happy for Debbie at seeing how proud her father seemed of her.

Danny released Debbie after she had stopped fighting him and had succumbed to his hug and they both walked over to join Lou and their parents. “What do you think?” Debbie asked and looked at Lou with a beaming smile.

Johnny passed the glove over to Danny to assess. “My daughter is an Ocean after all.” He rested his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it firmly. Debbie had never seen her father be so proud of her and she wished that she could somehow frame the moment so that she could relive it over and over again. She wondered if Danny got to experience that feeling after every heist that he had made with him.

Angie, too, looked on at her daughter with a pride that she had never shown before. “Congratulations, I’m so proud of you.” She pulled her youngest into a hug and Debbie held on to her tightly, this level of affection hadn’t been displayed from her mother since her high school graduation.

Debbie held onto her mom for a little longer than she usually would have, before Angie drew away. “Thanks mom, I couldn’t have done it without Lou.” She reached out her hand behind her back but Lou was too far away from her to clutch onto it.

Danny looked over at Lou who was standing awkwardly away from the family. He handed the glove over to his mother before going to join Lou and giving her a hug. “I told you that you and Deb were perfect for one another. I’m so happy for you both.”

“Thanks Danny.” He kept his arm around Lou’s shoulders and they both watched as Angie and Johnny continued to shower Debbie with compliments and questions about how she had carried out the heist. Debbie loved every moment of it and her parents had taken to the news even better than she had expected.

She waited until there was a lull in conversation before she looked to her father. It was now or never, and she knew that this was the best possible moment that she could ask the question. “Can I join the next family heist?” She asked, more firmly and direct than she had intended but it seemed like her desire behind the request had gotten the better of her.

Johnny waited for a long time before answering, considering the risk of having his daughter on the team. “The next heist is a big one. The biggest one we’ve done in quite some time. It’s in Paris.”

Debbie seemed unfazed by what her father was saying; “I’m ready for it.” She said, leaving no time for her to even process the fact that the heist was going to be carried out on the other side of the world.

Johnny paused for a shorter amount of time before nodding one firm nod. “I’m sure I can find a role for you.”

“Yes! Thanks, dad!” Debbie practically jumped into his arms and he swung her around just like he had done when she was a little kid.

Lou smiled, she was happy for Debbie, she really was. She could feel Danny glance at her and he left her to go and congratulate Debbie. She waited on the sidelines, continuing to smile as Debbie lapped up all of the attention that she quite frankly deserved. The discovery that the heist was taking place in France had surprised her and this time the surprise had not been a positive one.

At some point, she must have glazed over because all of a sudden, Debbie had thrown her arms around her and had kissed her cheek between excitable giggles. “Did you hear that? I’m going on an Ocean heist! Finally!” Debbie pulled Lou into a tight hug once again and Lou held her back just as tight; not wanting to let her go.

“I’m so happy for you, Deb.” She whispered back and the smile was still plastered on her face like some kind of concrete mask that couldn’t be broken.

Debbie pulled away and brushed her lips against Lou’s. “This heist sounds awesome.” She looked over her shoulder at her parents and Danny who were, more than likely, discussing the dynamics of their newest heist and where Debbie would fit into it all.

Lou nodded; “It does, it really does.” And it did sound awesome, it sounded fantastic and she knew that Debbie would thrive under the added pressure and the additional support that her family could offer her. It was the best opportunity that Debbie could wish for and she knew that Debbie’s entire life goal was to be in one of these heists but she couldn’t help but feel heartbroken for herself.

“Paris. I love Paris. J’adore Paris.” Debbie accented her last phrase and then laughed afterward; she would need to work on that accent. She took a breath, her heartbeat still racing with excitement. Lou was being quieter than usual and it slowly registered to her why that might be. “You’ll be coming with us, right?”

Lou frowned and then shrugged because shaking her head in response seemed too harsh and she didn’t want to ruin Debbie’s happiness. “Maybe. This is your thing though, Deb. It’s an Ocean thing.”

Debbie swept Lou’s bangs away from her eyes; they always fell into her eyes when she dropped her head. “You are an Ocean now. I’m sure my dad will let you join us.” She looked back at her father who had already switched back to business mode. She was confident that he’d let Lou in on the heist though, she had successfully pulled off the glove heist with her.

Lou witnessed the very slight look of uncertainty flash in Debbie’s eyes and she knew, she knew for certain that Johnny wasn’t going to allow her on the heist. It had taken him twenty two years to let his own daughter in on one. “Let’s not ask him yet, okay?”

“Okay.” Debbie agreed and she could see that Lou was nowhere near as excited about the whole situation as she was. “You’ll like Paris, I promise.” She smiled and turned the conversation away from her father; not understanding why Lou was so void of enthusiasm.

“Oh yeah?” Lou played along because, again, she didn’t want to spoil Debbie’s moment of affirmation from her family. “Do you know any more French?” She asked her, that forced smile returning to her as easily as it had done the first time around.

Debbie was happy that Lou was becoming more engaged and she thought for a moment before nodding. “Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?” Debbie smirked; “But I’ll only be using that phrase when speaking to you.”

“I should think so.” Lou remained smiling but it was the last thing that she wanted to be doing. She didn’t know how long it would be until Debbie left but she knew that it wouldn’t be too long if her father was already discussing it. “How long do you think you’ll be in Paris for?” She asked and part of her didn’t want to know the answer.

Debbie shrugged; the Ocean’s heists lasted from weeks to months depending on how big the task at hand was and how much planning needed to be done in advance. “I’m not sure how long we’ll be there for, I’m sure dad will tell us soon.” She answered, making sure that she involved Lou in the plans.

Lou didn’t know whether Debbie genuinely believed that her father would allow her in on the heist or whether she was just saying all of this to spare her feelings. She did know that she wouldn’t be joining Debbie either way, this was Debbie’s dream and it was her dream long before they had ever met. “I love you.” She breathed, and her smile faltered; her mind screaming at her that she was about to lose Debbie forever.

“I love you, too.” Debbie replied, sensing that Lou still wasn’t completely certain on the whole Paris idea. She would work on her though; somehow she would convince her that Paris would be the greatest thing that could ever happen to them. She smiled as she thought about the opportunities that could be offered to them; the first thing that she would do was to take Lou to the Eiffel Tower. She couldn’t remember Paris that well, but there was a reason as to why it was called the most romantic city in the world and she planned on making the most of that.


	15. Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this is later than usual, it turns out my hangovers now last for three days, fab.

The day had been spent paying a visit to a man known only as ‘Maxson’. He had taken the glove and had paid the full figure in cash. He had been the stereotype of a super fan and Debbie had tried not to laugh at the way that he had even mimicked his voice to sound just like Michael Jackson’s. Of course, all it took was one look at Lou to have them both laughing.

After their payment from Maxson, they had visited Tammy to give her her cut of the deal. Tammy lived not far from Debbie and her house was homely and warm and it was pretty similar to how Lou remembered her old home in Australia.

Debbie had returned to Lou’s and she was spread out on her couch, counting out her share of the money. Lou was sitting on the floor beside the couch, a cigarette in one hand and a wad of cash in the other. She was still surprised that such a huge amount of money was hers. “What are you gonna spend your cash on?” She asked Debbie who had just finished her counting and had pulled out her hair scrunchie, wrapping it around her pile of cash.

“It’s a surprise but it’s going to a very good cause. What about you?” She asked and placed her money on the table. She turned onto her side and dangled her hand down from the couch until it found the tips of Lou’s hair.

Lou leaned into Debbie’s touch and stubbed her cigarette out in the ashtray in front of her. “I don’t know yet,” part of her wanted to be reckless and blow it all on something big but the other part of her was telling her to be smart; it was her first paycheck after all.

“You should save it for Paris.” Debbie smiled, the thought of their upcoming trip popping into her mind once more. She already couldn’t wait to start planning, not only the heist itself, but also the downtime that she would get to spend with Lou.

Lou remained quiet, the Paris topic still one that she wanted to avoid. Debbie had still not asked her father about her joining the heist with them and she hoped that it would remain that way for as long as possible. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to join them; in fact, she would jump at the chance. She knew that Johnny wouldn’t allow it though and she couldn’t think of anything worse than going to Paris only to remain on the outside. She didn’t want to hold Debbie back.

She was about to change the subject when Donna’s familiar knocking at the door caught her attention. Debbie’s head whipped around to the front door and Lou patted her shoulder as she stood up. “It’s Donna’s knock.” She reassured her, but felt a little nervous as to why Donna was visiting, she usually only came around in the morning.

Debbie stood up with her and followed her over to the door, her curiosity growing with each second. She had heard of Lou’s friend many times but she was yet to meet her in person. She waited a few paces behind Lou, finding it slightly weird that there was going to be another person in the apartment. Up until then, it had only ever been her and Lou in there, like their own little bubble.

Lou had barely opened the door when Donna bustled through it, her arms desperately waving in the air and her breathing uncontrolled and erratic. “They’re back. They’ve just landed in JFK!” Donna took a deep breath before her eyes set on Debbie who was staring back at her in bewilderment.

“The Klugers?” Lou asked despite knowing that they were the only people that she could be referring to.

“Yes, the Klugers. They just called me to tell me. They’re getting food for little Daphne and then they’re coming back here.” Donna walked a little closer to Debbie who had remained silent but her eyes were wide and she was constantly looking between both her and Lou. “You, you must be Debbie.” Her voice softened immediately as she looked her up and down.

Debbie nodded, “Yeah hi.” She smiled awkwardly and Donna pulled her into a tight hug.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you; Lou has been talking about you nonstop.” She let go of Debbie and beamed at her. Despite the situation at hand, she couldn’t help but be thrilled to finally be meeting the object of Lou’s affection.

Lou cleared her throat; there was no time for familiarities. “I need to get out of here.”

Donna nodded and took charge of the issue, knowing that time was not on their side. “You two go and collect your things. I’ll clean up the surfaces.”

Debbie needn’t have been told twice and she rushed to the couch to collect their cash, stuffing the two great wads in each of her pockets. She then followed Lou through to the bedroom and found her sitting on the bed, her head in her hands. She hesitated for a moment, not sure whether to comfort her or to get her moving. She decided on the first option and hurried over to sit down beside her. “It’s okay, everything’s gonna be all right.” She soothed, her arm reaching around Lou’s shoulders and tugging her into her chest.

Lou allowed herself to fall into Debbie’s arms, her hands dropping to her sides as she did so. “I always knew this was gonna happen. I just didn’t think it would be now.” She whispered, the warmth coming from Debbie covering her like a blanket.

Debbie let her fingers work through Lou’s hair; she didn’t want to hurry her but at the same time she knew that they needed to get out of there. The constant bashing coming from outside the bedroom from Donna was yet another reminder of their desperate situation. “You can stay with me and we have money now. It’s really gonna be okay, I promise.” She placed a soft kiss on Lou’s crown.

Lou swallowed and then sighed while she registered everything that Debbie had said. She pulled herself up slowly, maybe Debbie was right. It could have happened at a much worse time, at least now she had some money to her name. “You’ll let me stay with you?” She asked, knowing that it wasn’t going to be easy for Debbie to persuade her parents to host a house guest.

“Of course, my bedroom is big enough for both of us.” Debbie smiled and traced her thumb lightly over Lou’s lips willing her to do the same. She had never seen Lou upset and God, did she despise it.

Lou’s lips tingled from the touch of Debbie’s skin against them. “What about your parents?” She asked and could see that small flicker of discouragement in Debbie’s eyes but again, it was gone within a second.

“They’ll let you stay; I’ll make sure of it. If not, then I’ll leave with you.” She leaned forward and touched her forehead against Lou’s. “I’m not leaving you. Not when we’ve only just found each other.”

She closed her eyes and let her lips touch against Debbie’s so lightly it was as if no contact had been made. “Have I ever told you that I love you?” She smiled against Debbie’s lips and she could feel hers curve against her own.

“You may have mentioned it once or twice.” Debbie pulled back slowly once she was confident that Lou had cheered up a little.

Lou already missed being close to Debbie and she looked around the dismantled bedroom which belonged to the Klugers. “Luckily, I don’t have much to take with me.” She looked over at her duffel bag in the corner of the room and went to go and fill it up with various items of her clothing which were scattered in various locations around the bedroom.

Debbie made herself useful by making the bed. “I’m gonna miss this place.” She sighed wistfully, their little cocoon away from the world, unfortunately being ripped away from them.

“Tell me about it.” Lou stuffed a pair of boots into her bag before making her way to the closet to collect some more of her clothes.

Debbie watched Lou out the corner of her eye, she hated that another home was, essentially, being ripped away from her again. She turned back to the bed, smoothing out the covers so that any creases were abolished. She wished she knew what to say to Lou, she wished she was better with words, and she wished, more than anything, that she could keep Lou safe from any hurt that she was experiencing.

“I think that’s everything,” Lou stood up straight and slung the bag over her shoulder.

Debbie plumped up a pillow before positioning it back on the bed. “Do you have anything anywhere else?”

“Only the alcohol in the cupboards.” Lou laughed dryly, thankful that she had kept her belongings close by in case of a situation such as this one.

Debbie rushed toward the door, “I’ll get it.” She said and hovered in the doorway for Lou, not knowing whether she wanted a moment alone.

Lou seemed to follow Debbie without a second thought but she slipped Mrs. Kluger’s watch off of her wrist and set it down on the dressing table as she passed it. “I don’t wanna get Donna in trouble with them.” When she reached the door she looked back at the bedroom and Debbie squeezed her hand for a moment before leaving to get the alcohol from the kitchen.

Lou took in the bedroom which had been hers for what seemed like a lifetime. She had grown attached to it, become used to her life and living in minor seclusion from the rest of the city. She only had Debbie and Donna and she liked that. She didn’t know whether she was ready for such a big change but it seemed that she had no other option. And then there was Paris. She had no idea what she was going to do about Paris.

She shook her head and left the bedroom, hoping that everything would fall into place although it seemed doubtful that it would. She saw Debbie stuffing the bottles into a plastic bag and she went over to join her.

“Are you girls ready?” Donna called out from the bathroom which remained clean enough from the last time that she had cleaned it for the Klugers’ not to become suspicious.

“All packed,” Lou replied as Donna came into view. She looked around at the kitchen and then the living room. Donna had certainly worked her magic on them.

“Do you need to stay with me for a bit?” Donna asked and looked at the bag on Lou’s shoulder which didn’t seem big enough to store a person’s entire belongings.

“It’s okay, she’s gonna stay at mine.” Debbie smiled, appreciating that there was someone else out there that had Lou’s back unlike a certain birth mother of hers.

“Good. Come here, Louise.” Donna threw her arms around Lou and pulled her into a long tight hug. “Don’t be a stranger, okay? I’m gonna miss having you around.” She really was going to miss her; she had formed a real friendship with Lou since she had resided at the apartment. Things certainly weren’t going to be the same once she left.

“I’m gonna miss you waking me up every other morning.” Lou laughed at the memories, Donna was one of those people who always seemed to be full of energy no matter what time of the day it was. She pulled her bag back on her shoulder once Donna had let her go and went back to stand beside Debbie.

“And Debbie. You look after her, you hear?” Donna said as firmly as she could but she was still wearing a sad smile.

Debbie looked at Lou and then back at Donna, “I’ll always look after her.”

Lou rolled her eyes for effect but she couldn’t hide the feeling of love which seemed to be bubbling over in her chest. “You guys, come on. I’m an adult.”

“Call me when you’ve settled in, yes?”

“I will, thanks for everything.” Lou smiled and waved at her friend before leaving the apartment for the last time with Debbie hand in hand with her.

* * *

Debbie had decided that she would ask her parents whether Lou could stay with them in the morning and it had been reasonably easy for her to sneak Lou in unseen. Danny was out with Tammy and her parents were in the office planning business.

Lou left her bag by the door in Debbie’s room and looked around at the room which had now grown to be very familiar to her. Debbie went to sit on her bed and patted the spot next to her, inviting Lou over to join her. Since leaving the apartment, Lou had been quiet and she knew that Lou wasn’t as okay as she pretended that she was. She waited until she had sat down beside her before she snuggled into her, her arm nestling tightly around her waist. “How are you feeling?”

She had calmed down significantly since arriving at Debbie’s house, the adrenaline and fear of being caught by the Kluger’s all but dissolved. She ran her fingers through Debbie’s hair, gently massaging her scalp. “Better, I’m glad I have you.”

Debbie smiled, it went without saying that she would be there for Lou, especially after all that she had done for her in the past. “Things are going to be okay, you know? My parents are criminals but they’re not monsters. They won’t just throw you out on the streets.”  
  
This time Lou seemed to believe Debbie about her parents, her voice seemed more defiant and there was no look of apprehension in her eyes. “Thanks, Deb. It won’t be for long, I’ll sort something out.” She had no idea what she would do but she knew that she couldn’t stay at the Ocean’s forever especially when the whole Paris thing was quickly approaching.

“It’s no bother. I totally don’t mind you staying here for as long as you want.” She fidgeted a little until she found a more comfortable position beside Lou who looked to be deep in thought. She studied her, the worry line on her forehead was beginning to vanish and she could feel that her body had become more relaxed.

Lou felt Debbie watching her and she turned on her side so that she could see her better. She was already sick of worrying about what her next move would be, in fact, there was nothing more that she wanted to do than to forget her current predicament and nobody that she would rather forget about it with than Debbie. So she closed her mind and she shuffled even closer to her girlfriend. “We should make the most of our new sleeping arrangements,” She whispered and claimed Debbie’s lips with her own.


	16. Harden My Heart

The office door was practically taunting her. It was tall and threatening and she had no idea what kind of mood her father would be in behind it. She rarely ever entered the office and when she did it was often only to deliver a parcel to her father. After what seemed like a lifetime she was invited inside. Her dad sat behind his desk, glasses perched on the edge of his nose, looking like a typical entrepreneur. “Hi, dad.” She closed the door behind her and stood awkwardly in front of the desk, one hand positioned on her hip and the other playing with the hem of her sweater.

Johnny closed the dubious book that he had been writing in prior to Debbie’s entrance. “I’m updating you on the heist after dinner.” He stated simply, not wanting to divulge in any further details with his daughter at that current time.

Debbie shook her head, “It’s not about the heist. Well, it kind of is.” She started to stutter and she could hear her father sigh which only made her mix up her words even further. “Dad, can I ask you something?”

“What is it?” He asked with his full attention on his daughter.

Debbie didn’t know what to start with, she had been confident that her father was going to agree to both Lou staying with them and with her joining in with the heist, but now she wasn’t so certain. She figured that she should begin with the most immediate issue and as Lou was taking a shower in her en-suite as they were speaking, she was going to start with that. “You like Lou, right? So does mom and Danny, and I do, a lot, obviously.”

Johnny nodded slowly, wondering where Debbie was going with her chain of thought. “She seems like a nice kid and she makes you happy. You work well together.”

“The thing is, well, she had a fight with her mom and she kinda got kicked out of her house. So, could she stay with us for a bit? She can stay in my room and you’ll barely even know she’s here most of the time.” She knew she was babbling and the only reason that she had stopped was because she saw her dad look away from her. She continued to stare at him though, despite the fact that he was now facing the wall.

“She can stay.” He said shortly and offered no further explanation but Debbie didn’t push for one either.

“Thank you, daddy.” Debbie smiled and tried not to cringe as she adopted the juvenile nickname for her father that she knew he still liked. She leaned forward to give him a hug which he accepted graciously and she hovered by his desk for a moment longer afterward, now regretting that she hadn’t started with the harder topic.

Johnny could tell that Debbie wasn’t finished, for if she had been, then she would have scarpered by now. “Anything else?” He prompted, quickly becoming impatient.

“Yes actually.” She paused again and when she did the nerves seemed to attack her at an even harder level than beforehand. “The heist, can we get Lou to do something? She’ll be great at anything that she gets given and…”

“Debbie.” He said firmly and pushed his glasses on to the top of his head.

“Please? She’s really good.” She didn’t want to beg but she would do it if it meant that Lou could join them.

“This is your first heist; I was already in two minds about inviting you on it. I can’t risk any distractions, Lou stays here. That’s the end of it.”

“But…”

“That’s the end of this, if you mention it again then you will also be staying here. Understood?” His voice was raised now and Debbie knew better than to argue with her father when he had reached that kind of mood.

“Understood,” she accepted and bowed her head, leaving the room with not so much as another look at her father.

She went into the kitchen; she needed to calm herself down before she spoke to Lou. However, Lou seemed to be able to read her like a book nowadays so she didn’t really know why she was bothering to hide it from her. Still, she felt like she needed a minute because breaking the news to Lou that she couldn’t come to Paris wasn’t going to be easy.

Lou was waiting on the end of Debbie’s bed, pulling a towel languidly through the ends of her hair. She had borrowed one of Debbie’s old sports T-shirt’s that must have been massive on her because it came down to her knees and she was a good few inches taller than Debbie. It seemed to be taking forever and despite Debbie’s positivity she already knew that it wasn’t going to be good news.

After five minutes, Debbie appeared in the bedroom. Her eyes were fixed on Lou and she noticed how fragile she looked just sitting there, on her bed, in her clothes, she wanted to sweep her into a massive hug and never ever let her go. Lou looked over as the door closed and the look she gave wasn’t one of hopefulness, it was one of disappointment but it wasn’t laced with surprise, more of an acceptance. “It’s okay, Deb. Really, I get it.” She spoke before Debbie had even reached her. She could tell from Debbie’s behavior that she didn’t want to say it. She didn’t want to be the one to deliver the bad news to her.

“It’s not okay, you deserve to come with us. We played fifty fifty in that heist. It’s not fair.” Debbie sat down beside Lou, the damp towel was now sitting in her lap and the occasional drop of water would trickle down from her hair and onto her side. This seemed to hypnotize Debbie. “None of this is fair.”

“It’s a family thing, not even Tammy has been invited, right? And she’s been with Danny way longer than I’ve been with you.” She slipped her hand into Debbie’s, now seeing that Debbie really had believed that her father was going to allow her on their heist.

“But you’re so good, Lou. You’re so smart and what you did with that bodyguard was like genius. I really wanted you to come with us.” She squeezed her hand, and caught a falling water droplet with her other hand. She watched it dance around on her skin before it stopped and started to diminish away into nothingness.

“I can stay at Donna’s while you’re gone, she’ll love to see me and then before we know it you’ll be back here. You’ll be so great, I just know it.” Lou smiled and she tried to remain as positive as she could be for Debbie but really her heart was aching. The thought of having to spend even a day without Debbie was painful enough but weeks, months even, that was unthinkable.

Debbie was still staring at the dampness on her index finger. “I don’t wanna go to Paris anymore. I wanna stay here and do heists with you.”

That was exactly what Lou had feared that Debbie would say and as much as she wanted that to happen, she knew that it couldn’t, not just yet anyway because Debbie had her own dreams that she needed to fulfill. “You’re going to Paris, you’ve always wanted to show your family what you’re made of and this is your chance. Make me proud, yeah?”

Debbie smiled, her eyes wandering from her hand and over to her girlfriend. “I’ll bring you back a diamond or two.” And so, it was decided. She was going to Paris and Lou wasn’t and she wasn’t thrilled with it but it would have to do. “On the plus side, dad said you can stay here for as long as you like. So if it’s too crowded at Donna’s then you can have full control of my bedroom.”

“Well, that’s no fun unless you’re in it.” Lou raised an eyebrow and Debbie laughed and just like that things seemed to be back to normal. She planned on not speaking about the Paris issue until it came up because she could tell that it got Debbie down and it made her feel like a burden, and that was one of the feelings that she hated the very most.

* * *

Most of the day had been spent watching old movies and snuggled up together under a mountain of blankets. Lou had discovered that Debbie was a huge Audrey Hepburn fan and they had watched all of the classics, Lou never failing to laugh each time that Debbie would quote a line from whatever movie it was that they were watching. It made her sad though because she knew Debbie would be leaving soon and she was scared that she wouldn’t be coming back. People seemed to have a habit of only staying around her temporarily and she feared that the same could happen to Debbie even if she didn’t intend it to.

Debbie knew each of the movies almost by heart, she had always been swept into the glamour of the old movies and she was glad that Lou seemed to be enjoying them. Since the current movie had started though, she could tell that Lou’s mind had been wandering and she knew that it was time to have a serious talk with her. “What are you thinking about?” She asked and pulled herself up from her slouching position to a more upright one.

“Nothing, just wondering why we’ve never done breakfast at Tiffany’s before.” Lou shrugged, her eyes still glued to the black and white videotape that was playing in front of them.

“Louise…” Debbie narrowed her eyebrows in her direction and the use of her full name seemed to draw Lou away from the screen.

“That’s the first time you’ve ever called me that.” She sat up straighter so that she was aligned with Debbie, sensing that the conversation was going to take a turn to the more serious side.

“You said we were gonna be honest with each other. I know you’re worried about Paris.”

“Not about Paris. I want you to go and I want you to wipe that smug grin off your dad's face.”

“But?”

Lou sighed but figured that it was about time that she let Debbie see her more vulnerable side despite how much she hated showing it herself. “What if you find something better over there? What if the heist lasts longer than planned? What if you find somebody else?”

Debbie’s face fell as she heard Lou’s insecurities and the fact that she had been holding them in for so long only made it worse. “I won’t find someone else; I’ll never find somebody else. I’m yours forever and you’re mine forever. I’m gonna go do this heist and show my parents that I’m a better damn thief than they are and then I’m gonna come back and we’re gonna celebrate and spend all my money on something ridiculous.”

“How ridiculous are you thinking?” Lou asked with a smile, already despising the vibe in the room. She saw the worry still very much present in Debbie’s eyes. “I’m sorry, I do trust you. You’re the only person I do trust.”

“I get it, baby. You don’t have to explain.” Debbie stretched up a little straighter and wrapped her arm around Lou’s shoulders, tugging her toward her until her head fell softly onto the crook of her neck. “I’ll give you the hotel number as soon as I know where we’re staying and we can talk every day. I need to hear your voice to keep me sane.”

Lou nestled into Debbie, her arms wrapping tightly around her waist. “At least you have Danny.”

“Business mode Danny isn’t quite as fun as normal Danny.”

“Speaking of business, isn’t it about time for your meeting?”

Debbie groaned, much preferring to spend her time wrapped up with Lou than listening to her father ramble on about menial details. She didn’t understand why he couldn’t just tell her the main information and then the smaller details when they were actually in Paris. “Oh, yeah. Feel free to start Roman Holiday without me.” She slowly wriggled free from Lou and leaned in to give her a kiss before she left. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Lou whispered back and watched Debbie until she left the room, how was it that she missed her already?

Debbie found herself glazing over after about ten minutes of hearing her father speak. She didn’t know how he did it but he was able to make even a multi-million dollar heist sound boring. She certainly would not be planning her own heists like this in the future. It was like being back at school. Her mom was sitting beside her, sitting up straight and rigid and she was convinced that she, too, was paying no attention to what he was saying. Danny was absent, and she knew if she had shown the same tardiness as her brother had then she would have been cut from the heist immediately.

She stared at the map of Paris which was pinned to the wall. It looked big and confusing and this heist was certainly on a much larger scale than she had ever imagined before. She heard her father talking about airport security and that was something that she hadn’t even considered but it sounded like it would be a lot of hassle.

After the meeting had concluded, she ran into Danny who was hovering outside the room. Instead of making a dive towards their father he pulled Debbie to one side. “Dad's super pissed at you for missing the meeting.” She looked over her shoulder to her parents who were deep in discussion, probably unaware of Danny’s entrance.

Danny couldn’t wipe the smile from his face because he knew that what he was about to say was going to delight his sister. “It was for a good reason. There’s something for you in the garage. Here’s the key.”

Debbie’s eyes lit up and Danny slipped the keys into her hand. This gift really could not have arrived at a better time. “It’s here, yes! Thanks for getting it for me, Dan. I owe you.”

“Just be safe, okay?” Danny punched her shoulder playfully before leaving her to talk to their parents and Debbie practically ran back to her bedroom to find Lou.

The sudden burst of the door startled her and the last thing she had expected was for Debbie to leap through it and jump into her arms. “Come with me, I have a surprise for you and you’re going to love it!”

Lou did as she was instructed and let Debbie lead her through the house and all the way down to the garage that she had never been in before. Debbie stopped just outside of the garage door and told Lou to close her eyes which she did, albeit reluctantly. “Deb, what’s going on?”

Debbie shushed her, “Hold out your hand.”

Lou did so and felt a cool piece of metal slide into her palm and Debbie’s hand wrapped around hers and the piece of metal that she was holding. She heard the garage door open and Debbie guided her forward for a few steps before she stopped again.

“Okay, open your eyes!” Debbie all but squealed and she kept her eyes on Lou because she didn’t want to miss the look on her face when she saw what she had gotten for her.

Lou’s eyes opened and her jaw dropped at what she saw in front of her; a brand new, shiny red motorcycle which gleamed despite the dull lighting inside the garage. “Oh my God, Deb! You did not?”

“I mean, I know it’s not the same as your dad’s one but I thought it was pretty rad and I thought you’d like it. And...”

Lou cut off Debbie’s babbling with a blistering kiss and pulled her into a hug. “It’s perfect; I can’t believe you got this for me.”

“I wanted to get you something special.”

“Shall we take her for a ride?” Lou asked excitedly and was twisting the key around impatiently in the palm of her hand.

Debbie nodded and Lou was already brushing off the bike. “Do you remember how to drive?” She asked and turned the handle of the garage door, heaving it open as quickly as she could.

“Sure, it’s something you never forget.” She put the key in the ignition and heard the roar of the engine, a sound which she missed dearly. She walked the bike out of the garage while Debbie closed the door behind them.

Then Debbie was standing beside her, looking at the loud bike apprehensively. “I’ll look after you, I swear. Just hold on to me tight, okay?”

“I will.” Debbie nodded and watched as Lou confidently got onto the bike. She waited for a second before jumping up and sitting behind Lou, her arms wrapping tightly around her waist. “Let’s go!” She shouted, only to be heard above the engine and her grip tightened around Lou’s waist.

“Where to?” Lou looked over her shoulder to Debbie who seemed to look a little more comfortable than she had just seconds before.

“Anywhere.” Debbie smiled and kissed Lou before she turned her head back around and kicked up the stand to the motorcycle. It leaped into gear and she was speeding down 81st Street, the cool autumn air whipping through her hair as she did so. She could hear Debbie laughing from behind her and at some point, her grip had become less severe and every so often she’d receive a kiss on the cheek from her. This was it, this was all that she wanted from life and she would hold on to this feeling to help her get through Debbie’s absence because this to her, was perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ughhh I would die for them.


	17. Don't Leave Me This Way

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone had a really lovely holiday period! I'm sorry this update took forever, I was having WiFi issues!

The last few days seemed to have flown by. They had spent almost every passing moment with one another, trying to draw out every last minute that they had together before the inevitable happened. Debbie’s flight was leaving the following morning and neither of them was quite ready to say goodbye just yet.

They were sitting in Central Park, in a secluded area beside the boating lake which was out of use now that the summer was over. Debbie had wanted to take Lou out to a fancy restaurant but Lou had insisted on something more low key. She wanted to spend their last day with Debbie and only Debbie, there was no room for waiters or anyone else to steal away any of her attention.

The sun had just begun to set and both of them knew that they really should be heading back soon but neither of them made any attempt to do so. “How are you feeling about the heist?” Lou asked, after putting off mentioning it for the last couple of hours. She had been enjoying talking nonsense with her and just being able to relax, but she was always aware of the elephant in the room. How could she not be? It was all that she could really think about.

Debbie was sitting crossed legged beside Lou, staring out at the empty boats that were tied up by the bank. “Honestly, I don’t really know. Dad’s still being super private about most things and every time I ask a question he seems to ignore it. It still feels like he doesn’t trust me.” She shrugged and started picking at the grass.

Lou still couldn’t read Johnny Ocean. One moment he seemed like a warm, loving, family man who loved nothing more than making everyone laugh. Then, the next he could be cold and blunt and someone that she really hated to be around. She had tried to like him for Debbie’s sake and she had done, until she had seen the recent way that he had been treating her. He would often leave her out of conversations, he’d make no reservations about calling over Danny and talking about the heist right in front of Debbie and Lou could see that it was hurting her but also that it was something so frustratingly normal. “Prove him wrong. I know you got it in you.” She squeezed Debbie’s knee, having complete faith that Debbie would not only succeed in whatever task that she’d been given but she’d also blow them all away.

Debbie smiled, again, wishing more than anything that Lou would be going with her. “Do you wanna know a secret?”

“Of course,” Lou nodded, eager for Debbie to open up further to her.

“I miss planning heists, planning with you was the most fun I’ve ever had and the MJ heist was like, the best moment of my life. I always thought working with Danny and my parents would be the biggest honor but it kinda feels like a step back from what we were doing. And it’s so much less fun.” She smiled wistfully, everything that she had thought she’d known had changed. Her entire life had been spent trying to fit in with her family, doing the utmost to impress them and making them want to work with her. She had never needed to impress Lou, it had all come naturally and they seemed to only blossom when around one another. They had shared ideas, made them a reality and then they had succeeded and the best thing about it was that it didn’t even feel like work.

Lou knew how independent Debbie was becoming, she had only known her for a few months but she could already see the changes in her behavior. Her confidence had always been high when it came to stealing but now it was even higher and it only seemed to lower when she was around her father. Still, this was Debbie’s dream and maybe things would be different for her in Paris. Again, she didn’t know Johnny well enough to predict his behavior. “Hey, you’re not even in Paris yet. I’m sure it’ll be more fun when you are.” She tried to encourage her because she really did want Debbie’s dream to live up to something, and not to be spoiled by the unfortunate reality of the situation. “And when you get back we can plan something else because you’re right, it was fun.”

Debbie chuckled and pulled her eyes away from the old boats in front of her. “Well, I do still want a Tiffany’s diamond.” She was determined to get one, especially after the failure of the last attempt. The only thing that would make that right would be if she could rectify it and this time it would need to be bigger, if only to prove to herself that she could make a success of it. “That should be our next one, Tiffany’s round two.” She placed her hand on top of Lou’s and laced their fingers together.

There was a short moment of silence between them and Lou found herself smiling despite the lack of conversation. Their silence was no longer awkward and was more comfortable, they seemed to be able to talk to each other in different ways and it was something that she had never experienced with anyone else ever before.

Debbie shuffled and stretched her legs out in front of her to relieve the slight cramp that was beginning to build in them. “What if I mess up?” She asked quietly, the doubts that were lodged in the back of her mind finally finding their voice.

Lou shook her head, the thought hadn’t even entered her mind. Debbie didn’t mess up, she was a professional. The only reason they had messed up the Tiffany’s heist was due to outside influence. “You’re not going to mess up, Deb. Nobody is as focused as you.”

“I guess.” Debbie whispered, not so sure. She loved that Lou had so much faith in her and she didn’t know where all of her self-doubt was even coming from because before she had been asked to join the heist she had been nothing but confident. It was funny how things had changed for her as soon as plans had started to come into motion.

“You shouldn’t doubt yourself just because of your dad. You’re good and he knows it, he just doesn’t wanna admit it.” Lou had to stop herself from saying anything further, not wanting to start insulting Debbie’s father in front of her.

Debbie was smiling again, “Do you really think so?”

“I do, he’s probably intimidated or something.” Lou shrugged despite knowing that she was completely right.

“It’s gonna be so sweet showing him what I’m made of.” Her confidence had risen once again, but unfortunately, Lou wasn’t going to be with her in Paris to help her out if she started to feel like she wasn’t good enough. Another silence seemed to settle and she looked down at their joint hands, “I’m gonna miss you. Do you have anything planned for while I’m gone?”

Lou’s teeth drug through her bottom lip before she let it go and nodded slowly. “Actually I’ve been thinking about how to keep myself entertained while you’re gone.” She still wasn’t certain that this idea was a good one and she hoped that by getting Debbie’s opinion, she’d be able to find out for certain whether it was or not.

Debbie smiled, prompting her to continue. “Well, since you’ll be bonding with your family I thought, I thought, maybe I should try and talk to my mom.” She couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable saying the word ‘mom’ because she hadn’t really used it in so long, it felt almost foreign to her.

Lou’s revelation had come as a surprise to her, not necessarily a bad one but one that she hadn’t seen coming. She supposed that it was only natural for Lou to be thinking of her own family though, especially now that she was living with her and her family. “I think that’s a great idea if that’s what you want. But, just be careful. I don’t want you to get hurt.” She folded her legs again and shuffled closer to Lou. She never really did speak too much about her mom, but she knew that if Lou’s mom had wanted to see her then she would’ve tried harder to find her. Manhattan was big but it wasn’t that big.

“I don’t know, we never really talked about things. I had so much hate for her back then. I hated nearly everyone.” She felt embarrassed, even talking about it with Debbie, who she trusted more than anyone else. The whole topic of her past was one that she wanted to change. There were so many things that she wanted to change about it, if only she could.

Debbie hated the way that Lou saw herself in the past and she wished that she had met her sooner because she was sure that things would’ve been very different. She would have protected her from her family for a start. Lou was looking at the boats that Debbie had previously been looking at and she leaned across, withdrawing her hand from hers and instead placing it on her shoulder. “I see a lot more love in you than hate.”

Lou turned to Debbie and could only smile at that look of love that she was looking back at her with. “Yeah, that’s totally your fault. You’ve made me weak.” She laughed and leaned back on her elbows to take full advantage of the angle that the sun was setting in.

Debbie did the same, positioning herself close enough to her that their arms were still touching. “No way, you’re the strongest person I know.” She meant that, Lou had gone through more in her twenty-one years than most people did in their entire lifetime.

“I’m scared that he might have got to her.” Lou said, quieter and more solemnly than her usual pattern of speech.

“Your stepdad?”

“Yeah, what if she don’t wanna see me?” She had already decided that she’d make completely sure that her stepdad wasn’t going to be around if she went to visit her mom. She assumed that nothing had changed since she had left and that meant that he would still be working most of the day which should give her plenty of time.

“She’s your mom, she’ll wanna see you. And if she don’t then that’s her loss.” Debbie wondered what Lou’s mom was like. She wondered if she thought about Lou every day and whether she had made any effort in actually tracking her down. She hoped that she had.

“I think I’m gonna do it.” Lou answered a little quicker than Debbie had expected. She seemed positive though and she prayed that that positivity wasn’t going to come back and bite her in the ass.

“Make sure that you tell me everything. We should come up with some kind of calling schedule. Paris is six hours ahead of New York but I don’t mind staying up late.”

“I will,” Lou leaned over and kissed Debbie lightly on the cheek. She was surprised that Debbie hadn’t suggested a calling schedule sooner. Debbie had given her the phone number of the hotel the previous night and she had it all basically memorized by the morning.

Debbie shivered, the chill of the autumn air finally getting the better of her light jacket. “We should probably go home; dad will have a fit if he doesn’t have time to brief me before bed.” She sighed, hating to break up their time together but knowing that she really shouldn’t annoy her father right before their journey, he still had time to revoke her passport after all.

Lou jumped to her feet before Debbie had even sat upright and was holding out her hands for Debbie to grab onto. “You’re right; I don’t want to keep you out past curfew.”

Debbie rolled her eyes and let Lou pull her up from the ground. “I don’t have a curfew… anymore.”

Lou linked her arm into Debbie’s once she was ready to leave and they made their way back to the east side of the park. “You’re a dork but I love you for it.”

“And you’re an ass but I love you for it.” Debbie laughed as she mimicked Lou’s accent, trying but failing to copy the exact way that she had spoken. They seemed to walk in perfect sync with one another and she couldn’t help but notice how they seemed to be walking much slower than they usually did. Still, time didn’t seem to be on their side and it continued to pass only too quickly.

* * *

Debbie had fallen asleep reasonably early that night, but Lou couldn’t seem to do the same, no matter how hard she tried. She was dreading saying goodbye to her, goodbyes were always tough for her and more often than not, they were final. She was lying on her side, the crack in the curtains providing a sliver of light which illuminated Debbie in an almost artistic way. She looked so peaceful in her sleep, so innocent and calm and everything that you wouldn’t usually associate a criminal as being.

The Ocean’s would be leaving in a few hours’ time and then she’d be left all alone in their house which she knew would be weird and thoroughly boring without Debbie there with her. She had meant to call Donna but she didn’t want to be a burden and so she hadn’t done. She was now regretting that decision.

She thought back to what she had been speaking to Debbie about earlier that day; her mother. Was she really ready to put things behind her and move on? It certainly would be a distraction for her, something to keep her occupied while Debbie was away but the more she thought about it the more she seemed to dread it. The last thing she could remember was her mother not believing her about her stepfather, that disloyalty had made her so angry and it still did each time that she thought about it. She was finally happy, was she really willing to risk losing that happiness?

Debbie stirred and muttered something incoherently before returning to her previous quiet sleeping. Lou bit down on her lip, a sudden thought crossing her mind which would save her from both difficult, emotional goodbyes and having to deal with her mother. She could go on a journey too, not to Paris or anywhere extravagant such as that; somewhere nearby but somewhere out of the city. She had a motorcycle now which was just dying to be used.

She faltered, the only thing holding her back was Debbie. She could wait until the morning, it would only be a mere few hours before Debbie would awaken but she really did want to avoid that goodbye. Debbie would understand that, wouldn’t she?

She quietly slipped out of bed and made her way to Debbie’s dressing table which was being framed by the moonlight seeping in through the gap in the curtains. She found a piece of paper and a pen in one of her drawers; it would be easier this way.

_‘Debbie,_

_I’m sorry to leave you like this but I couldn’t say goodbye. This way we don’t have to. Enjoy Paris, I know you’ll do great._

_Forgive me, I’ll be here when you get back. I promise._

_Lou. ‘_

She dropped the pen beside the note which was hurried and messy and her heartbeat seemed to drum wilder with each word that had formed on the paper. Yes, she was a coward but she was never the kind of person that was good at goodbyes.

She tiptoed across the room to where her bag of clothes was. She hadn’t unpacked properly since she had moved in, she had borrowed Debbie’s things and Debbie had promised her that they would go on a huge shopping trip when she returned. She hoped that trip would still stand. She changed into some pants and pulled on a leather jacket over her shirt. The key to the motorcycle was still in the pocket of her jacket and she wrapped her fingers around it, grasping onto it tightly.

She looked back at Debbie, who still remained looking so peaceful, being completely oblivious to what was going on around her. She was going to hate her at first but she would understand, she had to understand.

“I love you.” She whispered and Debbie probably wouldn’t have heard her even if she had been awake. She took a deep breath and made a dash for the door before she changed her mind.

The house was eerily quiet and it would have been completely dark had it not been for the gentle glow of the lamp which shone from the end of the corridor. It guided her through the house and she took the familiar trek down the stairs and into the garage. It didn’t feel good and she felt like she was betraying Debbie but she didn’t turn back. The thought of watching Debbie walking away from her was far too painful; she couldn’t watch another person that she loved leave her.

The bike was where she had remembered it had been. She removed the sheet that was protecting it and it seemed to stare back at her, the usual gleam that made it so attractive was missing in the dark and it looked dull and unappealing.

As soon as she hit the road, she knew that she had made a mistake but she couldn’t go back now; it was already too late. So she continued to drive on, going faster and faster until she saw the sign that indicated that she was leaving New York. She looked back over her shoulder; the city looked so bright, countless lights shining for miles around. She turned away; it wouldn’t be long before Debbie woke up.

Tears started to fill her eyes as she thought of how Debbie would react to her absence. She sniffed them back angrily, it was better this way. It was better this way.


	18. I Ran

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is another angsty one, I'm afraid.

Debbie woke before her alarm clock, the room was still dark and she was about to turn over to try and steal some extra sleep when she felt that something was wrong. She reached over to where Lou should have been but all she grasped was a bunch of cold bedsheets. She sat upright, panic setting in because, of course, she feared the worse. She whipped the covers off of her and ran to the light switch, turning it on as quickly as she could. The light attacked her and her eyes clamped shut from the brightness of the room.

“Lou?” She called out instinctively, her eyes slowly opening again; the stinging from the light beginning to ease. Lou was nowhere in sight but maybe she had just gone to the bathroom; maybe she was just overreacting but she couldn’t seem to shake off that feeling that something wasn’t right. Then she noticed it, the bag that had been sitting on her floor for the past week was gone, any reminder of Lou’s presence completely vanished. Everything seemed to be pointing in the direction that she was really wishing it wasn’t.

“No. No, she can’t have.” She shook her head, refusing to believe that Lou could have left her without saying a single word. This was Lou; she wouldn’t do that, would she? She ran her hand through her tangled hair, pausing for a second to try and make sense of what was happening because at the moment everything just felt like a nightmare that she couldn’t wake up from.

She darted over to the other side of the room and slipped her feet into a pair of discarded boots; if Lou had left then she couldn’t have gone too far surely. As she stood back up the piece of paper sitting on her desk caught her eye. It hadn’t been there last night and just the sight of it filled her with dread. She already knew what it was and part of her didn’t even want to read it because she knew that the moment that she did, there was no going back.

But, of course, she did read it because the only thing worse than denying the fact that Lou had left her would be the not knowing. She read it over for a second time, her eyes filling up with tears. How could she believe Lou when she said she’d be back? She couldn’t. She dropped the letter back down onto her dressing table; if only Lou could have spoken to her about everything first, she had so many questions.

She tiptoed out of her bedroom and downstairs, dawn starting to break in through the windows and leaving a gentle glow that followed her around the house. She made her way to the garage, knowing exactly what she would find but still, she held onto that sliver of hope that she could be wrong, because despite seeing Lou’s handwritten note, maybe just maybe she wouldn’t have left her…

The garage was cold and dark and it smelled like stale gasoline. Everything looked the same as it usually did, everything apart from the newest addition to their home. The red bike that lived between her parents Porsche and Danny’s Mustang was missing, of course, it was.

Still, she raced outside, heaving the garage door open as quickly as she could. The dusty air greeted her and the stillness of the usually busy city did little to comfort her. She ran to the curb and looked longingly down each side of her street, but there was no sight of either Lou or her motorcycle.

“Lou?!” She shouted out, her eyes still desperately scanning every inch of her street despite the tears causing everything to turn into a blurry mist of autumn colors. She folded her arms over her chest, the chill of the morning starting to make itself known on her skin. She sat down on the curb, not ready to go back inside just yet. It seemed that Lou really had gone and she had no idea when she’d be seeing her again.

* * *

Debbie had been staring out of the window since the very second that she had taken her seat on the plane. She watched as the buildings and streets got smaller and smaller, until they had completely vanished from her sight; Lou had to be out there somewhere. The bright cloud which now encompassed her view was bright and she looked away, turning her attention to the back of the seat in front of her. She had barely said a word to anyone since finding out that Lou had run away. Her parents seemed to have paid little attention to her downcast mood but Danny knew that something was troubling her. He always knew.

“I never saw Lou this morning. She sleeping in?” He asked his sister, turning in his seat so that he could observe all of Debbie’s mannerisms because despite what she may say, her body language never could lie, not to him anyway.

She continued to stare at the back of the leather seat, not wanting to discuss her personal life with Danny, or anyone, for that matter. “I don’t wanna talk about it.”

Danny knocked his sister’s elbow with his own and lowered his voice, just in case his parents somehow could hear their discussion. “If you don’t talk about it now then I’m just gonna be bugging you the whole journey and it’s not gonna be a short journey.”

Debbie knew that was a threat that he would keep so she sighed and turned to face him. “I dunno where she is, Dan. She left.” She could feel her eyes begin to water again and she did her best to mask that because crying in public was a million times worse than crying alone and crying while on a busy eight-hour flight to the other side of the world was probably the worst thing imaginable.

Danny frowned, “What do you mean she left? Why would she leave for?”

She shrugged and sniffed back those lingering tears which were hanging dangerously on the tip of her eyelids. “I don’t know, I don’t know anything apart from that she fucking left me, okay.”

“She didn’t say anything?” Danny asked, trying to gain as much information as he could from his increasingly despondent sister.

“No, she left while I was sleeping.” Debbie shifted in her seat and grabbed the crumpled up letter from the back pocket of her jeans. She held it for a moment, wondering whether she was ready to show Danny something so personal. He was already looking at it though and so she straightened it out as best as she could and passed it over to him. “She left this.”

Danny took the note and had read over it in just a few seconds. “Shit, I’m so sorry, Deb.” He folded the note in half, sensing that Debbie probably didn’t want to read it again, she had probably read over it a million times already. He handed it back to her and she took it and stuffed it back into her pocket. “She promised she’ll be back for you though, that means something, right?” He tried to be positive, he hated seeing Debbie upset and he knew that if her mind wasn’t completely on the heist then errors could easily occur, but he would worry about that at a later date.

“Does it?” Debbie asked, unsure about pretty much everything regarding Lou because, until that morning, she had been completely certain that Lou would have never left her in such a manner.

Danny had never been very good at giving advice, especially when it came to relationships but for Debbie, he was really trying. “Yeah, you two are inseparable. She loves you.” He knew that for sure; he and Tammy had discussed the topic many times and they had both been sure that Debbie and Lou were completely in love. He didn’t know why Lou had left his sister but he knew that she’d be back; there was no way she would have left her for good.

Debbie did her best not to disregard that comment, “It don’t feel like it.”

Danny thought for a moment, he’d like to think that he knew Lou considerably well but he still couldn’t think why Lou would have just up and left. “She must have her reasons for leaving.”

Debbie knew how Lou felt about everything; how she was worried to be on her own again after she had met her. How she missed her parents and how she still hadn’t forgiven her mother for what she had done. She knew that Lou was worried that Paris was going to offer her a better life than the one she and New York could offer her. She understood why Lou might need to get away but she didn’t understand why she had done it in the way that she had. “It’s the not saying goodbye that hurts the most.”

“She’s probably upset that we’re going to Paris, Tammy was mad at me the first time I left her for a business trip.”

Debbie sighed because this instance was nothing like the one that Danny had mentioned. “Yeah, but Tammy never left you in the middle of the night.”

Danny smiled sadly, knowing that there was very little he could do to help his sister in this situation. “She does love you though, I can tell.”

Debbie hoped that was true, she really did. “I’m gonna try and get some sleep.”

“Okay, don’t snore in my ear.” Danny smiled and hoped that she’d be able to get some rest because he knew how long the flight was and he also knew that Debbie would be replaying the last time that she had spoken to Lou over and over in her head, wondering what she could have done differently to change things.

“As if,” She smiled back, knowing that Danny was only trying to cheer her up. She turned her back to him again and tried to get comfortable on the sticky seat. She seriously hoped that her father would be purchasing a private jet with the money from this upcoming heist. She closed her eyes and Lou’s face flashed into view; it was going to be a very long flight…

* * *

She had been driving for hours, having no idea where she was going or what she was going to do next. She had stopped thinking, her mind focused solely on the highway ahead of her and the blurs of the cars as she passed by them. She had put off thinking about what she had left behind for as long as she could have done but she had soon grown tired and the gas gauge on her bike had been falling lower and lower with each mile that she drove.

She had found a motel that was cheap and looked like it hadn’t been decorated since the fifties but she wasn’t too concerned about the décor, it wasn’t like she planned on staying there for long. She had picked up a few necessities before making herself at home; alcohol, cigarettes and some bags of chips just in case she got hungry.

She was ever conscious of the time, the clock that hung on the wall was loud and it seemed to make a clicking noise each time that an hour passed. Debbie should be in Paris by now, if everything had gone according to plan that was. She wondered what she was doing and how she was feeling. She wondered if she’d ever forgive her.

The room was quiet despite the walls being paper thin, that being said, she hadn’t even seen any other guests. She looked away from the clock and toward the telephone instead. It was sitting on a small table beside the bed, practically screaming at her to make that phone call to Paris.

She threw herself down on the bed, her head hitting the pillow and her eyes slamming closed. Why did she have to do that? She would take a thousand goodbyes over this feeling, if only she had known this feeling before she had left. The worst thing was that she knew that Debbie would be feeling even worse than she was.

With a groan, she sat up and reached for the telephone. She had to salvage what was left of their relationship; she had to explain to Debbie why she had left. She punched in the number which she knew by heart and then she waited…

Debbie had barely gotten any sleep on the plane and she was tired and jetlagged and it seemed that her sadness had now very much turned to anger. She had been snapping at almost everybody that had come into contact with her and all she wanted to do was have a long sleep to try and forget everything that had happened. Danny had insisted on helping her unpack which she knew was just an excuse to keep an eye on her because she only had two suitcases and she had originally planned on not unpacking at all and just living out of them for the weeks that she was there for.

She was sprawled out on the couch, the view of the Eiffel Tower peeking in from the window beside her. Danny was sitting on her bed, attempting to make small talk about the culture of the city but neither of them was really into the conversation. The ringing of the phone startled them both and they both looked towards the direction of the noise, however, neither attempted to actually answer the phone.

“Dan, can you get that?” Debbie asked, pointing in the direction of it.

Danny groaned but pulled himself up and walked over to the other side of the room anyway, the least he could do for his sister was answer the telephone. “It’s probably just the front desk asking if you have enough towels.”

“Exactly, that’s why I said you can answer it.”

Danny picked up the receiver and was greeted by a husky Australian accent; it certainly wasn’t the front desk. “Debbie?” Lou sputtered as soon as she heard the phone being picked up.

“Lou? Lou, is that you?” Danny asked and Debbie sat up abruptly at the name that passed through her brother’s lips.

“I’m not here.” She called out, hoping that she had said it quietly enough that Lou wouldn’t have been able to hear her. She was still angry at her and she couldn’t deal with talking to her, not now at least.

Lou cleared her throat in attempts to hide the disappointment that she was experiencing from finding that Debbie was not on the other side of the telephone. “Hi, Danny. Is Debbie there? I need to speak to her.” She spoke quickly, the urgency in her voice impossible to disguise.

Danny put his hand over the receiver and looked over at Debbie who was pretending to be disinterested by staring out of the window. “Deb, I really think you should speak to her.”

“No, tell her I’m not here.” She answered, still staring at the new city that presented itself in front of her.

Danny moved closer to Debbie but could only manage a few steps due to the telephone cord restraining him. “Debbie, I’m serious.” He spoke firmly but it had little effect.

“Tell her I’m enjoying the Eiffel Tower with a bunch of French girls.” Debbie turned around then and gave him a smile which was supposed to show how little she cared but it seemed to do the exact opposite. Danny could see the pain behind her eyes and her smile had been so minuscule that it had barely existed.

Danny could hear Lou on the other side of the phone and he shook his head at Debbie because there was no way that he would be telling Lou that. “She’s out at the moment, where are you? Are you all right?” He asked, and Debbie rolled her eyes but she, too, wanted to know the answer to those questions.

Lou sighed; it was obvious that Danny was covering for her. “Just tell Debbie that I’m sorry and I miss her.” She hung up the phone before she even received an answer.

“I will,” Danny responded but it hung in the air only to be met by the cutting off of the line. He put the phone down and turned to find Debbie staring at him with a look of exhaustion on her face. “You should’ve taken that call, you know? Lou said she was sorry and that she missed you.”

Debbie let those words sink in for a moment. She missed her too, so much, and it hurt every time that she thought of her. She folded her arms and looked away from Danny, “Whatever, I’m gonna take a shower.”

Lou had reached for the bottle of vodka almost immediately after she had terminated the call. She should have known that Debbie wouldn’t have wanted to speak to her but even if she had done, she expected that it would have still stung just as much. She’d try again the next day but until then, she just wanted to forget and so she took a drink and another and another…


	19. If I Could Turn Back Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys, just wanted to say thank you for the continued feedback. I'm so glad you guys are still enjoying this fic because I, for one, am still way too invested in these two idiots.

The banging on the door startled her. It was a prompt, impatient thumping that seemed to echo through her entire body. She rolled out of bed, her feet hitting the ground messily and her head pounding as soon as she went to stand up. She could barely remember the night before, not since the disaster that was the phone call to Paris.

She looked at the clock as she made her way to the door; 9 am. That meant that it was 3 pm in Paris. Debbie was probably planning the heist or out shopping with Danny or sightseeing with somebody else. She didn’t want to think about that.

She opened the door and the housekeeper made their way into the small room, tutting as they did so. Lou took that as a hint to make herself scarce so she left the room and decided that taking a walk to clear her fuzzy head was probably a good idea.

The air was cold; unforgiving on her bare arms. She folded them over her chest and headed toward the foliage at the back of the motel. All she could do now was try and fix things. She still had the majority of the money that she had earned from the Jackson heist but it wasn’t enough for a flight to Paris and even if it were, it was unlikely that Debbie would want to see her. For now, it seemed that calling would be the best and only option.

She sat down on a log which was damp from the morning dew but she didn’t seem to care too much. She had only been away from Debbie for a day and she was already sick of it. Being alone seemed to be a whole lot harder when she knew that she didn’t have to be.

Her eyes burned into the room that she was staying in, silently praying that the housekeeper would hurry up and get the hell out of there so that she could make another call to France. This time she wouldn’t be hanging up, not until she had spoken to her.

* * *

The morning had been spent scoping out the Louvre. Johnny had introduced her to Pierre, a French conman who would be receiving a much more generous cut of the payment than she would be. He seemed rude and he had definitely looked down at her when he had introduced himself; as usual, she was being underestimated.

Pierre had ushered them around the museum, acting as if he were their tour guide for the day, no one batted an eyelid as he escorted them to the most popular artworks, answering all of her father’s questions in his Parisian accent. She listened as best she could but every now and then she would get lost in the artwork, her mind wandering to Lou and thinking about how much she would’ve loved being involved in such a huge heist. It was times like that when she forgot about how mad she was at her.

Her father had given her and Danny the afternoon off while he made some phone calls, usually, she would’ve jumped at the chance to explore the city but not this time. She had enjoyed the distraction that the heist was creating for her and without that she had no choice but to think of Lou.

Danny had insisted that they go and see the Notre Dame; she could tell that he was still acting out the protective big brother role and as much as she appreciated it, she was beginning to find him rather smothering. She just wanted to wallow in her own self-pity for a while but it seemed that she rarely got the chance to do so.

“When do the bells ring?” Danny asked after about five minutes of staring up at them from their spot on the ground. Debbie was standing beside him, one hand on her hip and she was staring in the complete opposite direction of the impressive building.

“How am I supposed to know?” She asked and glared as a giggling couple walked past her hand in hand.

He smirked, trying his best to hold in his laughter because he knew he really shouldn’t be laughing at his sister’s pain. “You still pissed at Lou?”

“Wouldn’t you be?” Debbie snapped and finally looked toward the Notre Dame just as the bells started to chime.  “None of this would’ve happened if dad let her come with us.” She sidestepped away from a bunch of tourists who all seemed to flock toward her once the bells had started to ring.

“I can’t believe you actually thought he would let her come.” Danny took Debbie’s hand and led her back to the main street, far away from the crowd of photo-snapping tourists.  “You need to talk to Lou and sort your shit out because if Dad knows your head ain’t in it then he’s gonna pull you from the whole thing.” He said sternly once they were in a quieter area.

Debbie tutted, insulted by what Danny had just said. Sure, she had other things on her mind but it didn’t mean that she wasn’t taking the heist seriously. “My head is in the heist.” She stated firmly, not admitting that maybe Danny was a tiny bit correct in his analogy.

“Coulda fooled me. You were barely listening to what Pierre was saying earlier,” Danny started to walk and Debbie followed after him, adopting a faster than usual pace.

“He was talking shit, why do we need to know how many brush strokes are in each painting?” She couldn’t hide her dislike for Pierre. The main reason being that today had been the first time that her father had met him and he already seemed to trust him a million times more than he trusted her.

“Research.” Danny stopped beside a vendor and bought two bottles of coke, passing one over to Debbie who accepted it with a small smile. She presumed it was her brother’s peace offering; he always did feel bad after upsetting her. “What time is Lou meant to be calling?” He asked after taking a sip of his coke.

“5 pm, our time.”

He looked at his watch, “Then we should be heading back, I need to call Tammy anyway.”

* * *

Lou had forgotten all about Debbie’s calling schedule and she had been calling the hotel every fifteen minutes in hopes to catch her. She had called about eight times now and each time she had been told that Debbie’s room was unoccupied. At least, that meant that Debbie was out and that she wasn’t just ignoring her.

She had avoided the vodka thus far; even the smell of it that still seemed to linger in the room was making her feel queasy. She really did need to think of a better way to battle her demons but alcohol always had been the answer and it still seemed to do the trick.

She glanced up at the clock again, timekeeping seeming to be the only thing that was keeping her sane as of late. When the clock hit the hour she picked up the phone once again and dialed in the same number that she had done on each previous occasion. Delphine, the hotel’s receptionist, answered it and this time she directed her call through to Debbie’s room. She held her breath, praying that the next voice that she heard would be Debbie’s.

“Lou,” Debbie said as soon as she picked up the phone, already knowing that it would be her on the other end of the receiver. She tried to sound mad but honestly, she was more relieved that Lou had got into touch with her again than anything else.

Lou let out a deep breath that she hadn’t been aware that she was holding; the sound of Debbie’s voice like music to her ears. “I’m so glad that you answered. I’m so sorry I left, I’m so sorry for everything.” She felt pathetic; because how could she even begin to show Debbie how sorry she was with only a few words.

She hated it when Lou apologized, and she could hear that desperate sadness in Lou’s voice and she hated even more how it almost made her choke up. “Don’t,” She sighed and leaned her head back until it hit the wall behind her. “Don’t apologize.”

“Deb, I panicked. I fucked up.” Again, she hated the way that she sounded and whatever she said still held nothing against how she felt.

“You did.” Debbie agreed bluntly but regretted it right away. She was only punishing herself more by punishing Lou, why was love always so painful for all those involved? She heard Lou start to say something but she cut her off before she could. “Where are you?”

Lou frowned, not expecting that sudden question that seemed to veer away from what they had been discussing before. “Uh, a motel someplace. I don’t know, I just drove, needed to clear my head.”

That sounded vague and she couldn’t help but worry about her. She had been mad at her for so long that she hadn’t thought about how Lou was dealing with things, she had Danny to look after her but Lou, Lou didn’t have anybody. “Promise me, you won’t do anything stupid.”

“Not without you.” Lou husked, trying to regain their flirty banter that she missed so much. She knew that it wasn’t the time though and Debbie’s lack of reaction only proved that.

Debbie hoped that Lou was looking after herself and all that she could do was trust that she was. There was a short silence on the line and Debbie toyed with whether or not to ask the question that she had wanted to ask Lou ever since the moment that she had realized that she had left. Lou remained silent, as if she were waiting for it, so she cleared her throat because she knew her voice would come out as just a whisper had she not have. “Why didn’t you say goodbye?”

“Because goodbyes are forever.” Lou answered without thinking and maybe that had been the right choice for once because she could have made up a thousand excuses to Debbie but the one that she spoke was the only one that really mattered. She did only know goodbyes to be final.

“I…” She bit her lip, letting what Lou had said sink in. Lou’s dad, her mom, everybody else that had left her and had never returned. She was beginning to see why Lou hated goodbyes so much. “This one isn’t forever.”

Lou nodded, silently accepting what Debbie had said and she knew that she’d be replaying those words over and over in her head. She believed her, she trusted her. “How is Paris?” She asked, eager to know just what it was that Debbie was working on.

“Tres magnifique.” She wondered if Lou would pick up on the sarcasm in her voice but the fake French accent may have disguised it. She thought back to what Danny had said to her, she should probably deal with that issue while she still could. “Danny said that I need to focus more on the heist.”

Debbie’s accent was certainly improving, it seemed that practice really did make perfect when she was involved. “What have you been focusing on?”

“You. I don’t wanna be mad at you anymore.” Debbie started to nibble the skin on her bottom lip, suddenly nervous. She was significantly less mad at Lou but she still held a little resentment and most of it was around the fear that Lou may act in this way again.

“How can I make it up to you?” She asked, vulnerability evident in her voice. She would do just about anything to make things right again.

“Just make sure you’re home when I get back and that you never do something like this ever again.” Debbie stopped with the lip biting and instead occupied her mouth with a hangnail. “Oh and call Donna, I promised her I’d look after you.”

“I promise. Is that invitation still open to stay at yours?” She made a mental note to give Donna a call because she really should have done so days ago. If she had then Donna would have probably talked her out of her stupid ‘running away from her problems’ idea that she had been so set on.

“It’s always open.” Debbie dropped her thumbnail, her hand falling back into her lap. Lou was going home and as soon as she was finished with business, she would be returning home to her. That thought made her smile and it was only ruined by the knock on her door and the booming sound of her dad calling out her name.

“I love you.” Lou whispered, hoping that Debbie had reached the point in which she could say it back to her.

She hadn’t have worried because; of course, Debbie said it straight back. “I love you, too.” She was still smiling despite the continuous knocking on the door ruining their moment. “I should go before my dad breaks down my door, call me tomorrow, yeah?”

Lou could hear the muffled sound of Johnny knocking on the door, that man certainly had the worst timing. “You bet, and Deb? I really am sorry.”

“I know.” She placed the phone down, feeling a lot happier than she had done before. Lou had really cast some kind of spell on her because if she were anyone else then she would have broken up with them by now. Lou was different though, she was her everything. She finally knew what love felt like; it was understanding, it was empathizing and it was forgiveness.

Lou listened until she heard that final click that signified the end of the line. She slowly put the phone down and she was smiling for the first time in days. She wasn’t going to let Debbie down again; she was going back to New York.

She fetched her belongings that were still packed in her bag and made her way back into the cold air. There was no time like the present and if she was lucky she would make it back to the city before midnight. She lifted up the seat of her bike to find the gas can that she had stored in there and just as she pulled it out she noticed something else. Tucked up in the bottom corner was a small gold key chain in the shape of the Eiffel Tower. She clasped it between her fingers, as if she were holding onto a piece of Debbie herself. She was going home and she wouldn’t be leaving there again anytime soon.


	20. This Charming Man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I skipped a week with updates, it was due to a combination of flu and writer's block and honestly, I don't know which one was worse.

Waking up in Debbie’s bed with Debbie noticeably absent was not a good feeling; still, it was a better feeling than waking up alone in some grotty motel, the way that she had done the previous morning. The dry throat and queasy stomach that was a sure sign of a hangover setting in was also noticeably missing; this feeling wasn’t so missed.

One of the first things that Lou had done that morning was call her old friend, Donna. Partly because she was lonely and partly because she had promised Debbie that she would do so. Donna had come over straight after she had finished up at the Kluger’s place. The memory of her former ‘home’ had flooded back to her almost as soon as Donna had walked through the door.

Donna had spent quite some time looking around the Ocean’s house, impressed and maybe a little curious as to how Debbie’s parents could afford such a huge home. She was currently sitting opposite Lou at the kitchen table, sipping slowly on a mug of coffee. “Where’s Debbie?” She asked, seeing as Lou had missed out on telling her that detail thus far.

Lou had been enjoying catching up on the gossip about the Kluger’s. They were generally rather boring but it seemed that, since their return, they had grown a little more interesting. Donna had told her about their continuous arguments and the close calls that she had experienced regarding Lou having stayed at their home. She was just lucky that they hadn’t seemed to have noticed any missing cash that she had spent long ago. “Debbie?” She was pulled out of her daydream upon the mention of her girlfriend’s name. “She’s in Paris with her family. Vacation.” She scrambled to find an excuse but that one seemed to work out; it wasn’t entirely a lie anyway. Donna still didn’t know Debbie’s career choice or that of her family’s and she didn't want to delve into all of that just yet; she had already gotten Donna involved in too much illegal activity.

Donna looked Lou up and down, as if to check her physical appearance to make sure that she was healthy. “You’re okay by yourself? You can come and stay with me if you like but I suppose my couch wouldn’t be as appealing as this mansion.”

Lou was thankful for the offer and once again, she felt guilty for how she had acted. She still wasn’t completely used to the idea of having people actually worry about her and care about her well-being. It was something that she would have to start getting used to. “She’ll be back soon, I’ll be fine now.”

“Now?” Donna asked, not missing a beat. 

Lou’s jaw clamped shut; she had forgotten that nothing could get past her friend. “I, uh, freaked out a bit at first."

“What did you do?” Donna asked, sitting up a little straighter at the change in Lou’s tone.

She didn’t really know how to say it; however she chose to word it, it would sound pretty terrible. She paused and she could feel Donna’s eyes burning into her, there was no use sugar-coating it. “I left her before she could leave me.” Her eyes instantly fell towards the dark liquid sitting in the mug in front of her; a redundant sigh passing through her lips.

There was a moment before she responded, “Louise.” She tutted, followed by a short shake of her head.

Lou spoke up before she received any more critique; “I know, I know. It was dumb and I regretted it right away.”

Donna tilted her head to the side, sensing that Lou had already been hard on herself about the past decision that she had made. “The main thing is that you’re back now. How is Debbie?”

Lou perked up again, knowing that Donna could really rant once she had gotten going. The mention of Debbie’s name made her smile; “She’s okay, I think she’s forgiven me. I hope so anyway.”

Donna nodded, she had only met Debbie for a brief amount of time but she had already taken a liking to her. “She’s a good girl, you both are.”

Lou smirked to herself; if only Donna knew the real Debbie Ocean. “I don’t know about that,” She bit back her laughter and took a mouthful of coffee before she gave anything away.

Donna didn’t seem to pick up on Lou’s amusement and instead, her mind had wandered to Lou’s ‘happily ever after’; she always had been a hopeless romantic. “Nonsense, I’m glad that you have each other. No more rash decisions though.”

“I swear, I’m not gonna mess things up again.” Lou smiled defiantly, that was something that she planned on sticking to. She knew that she had skated on very thin ice and it had certainly not been a good feeling.

* * *

Everything was far more formal in Paris than it was in New York. Pierre had called the entire Ocean clan around to his house for dinner. Apparently, it would be the perfect opportunity to discuss final details but Debbie knew that he had only invited them over so that he could show off. His house was spectacular, central yet private and there was a pristine view of the Eiffel Tower from his balcony; she was totally jealous. They had just finished their meal and were now gathered in Pierre’s large living room, a glass of wine in hand.

Danny had been entertaining them with a story about how he and a friend had outrun the cops. Debbie got the feeling that she wasn’t the only one who preferred to operate away from the parental unit. Said parents had both started to laugh at Danny’s elaborate story and Debbie, too, let out an amused chuckle; Pierre was still absent, not that she seemed to mind.

Debbie waited until Danny’s story had reached its conclusion before she excused herself. She did need to use the bathroom but, more so than that, she wanted to check out the rest of Pierre’s house. She had a weird feeling that he was hiding something. She was making her way to the bathroom when a harsh whispering caught her attention from behind one of the bedroom doors. She stopped outside of it and attempted to hear what was being said; some of the best information was gained from eavesdropping and it seemed like this instance was no exception.

“I’ll get the money for you, I told you.” She could hear Pierre whisper and the more that she heard coming from his mouth, the more interested she became. Who was he talking to? And why was he whispering in his own house? Something wasn’t quite right.

He had started pacing, she could tell because his voice would rise and fall with almost every word. “I’m working with the Oceans now.” He said and Debbie glared at the door, she was getting angrier with every word that she heard.

The music from downstairs was gradually getting louder and before she knew it Pierre’s hushed drone had been replaced by the smooth vocals of Stevie Wonder. “Damnit,” Debbie cursed under her breath and hesitated by the door for a few moments longer just in case she could capture any more of the broken conversation.

This hesitation had proven to be her downfall because, seconds later, the door opened and Pierre was staring right at her. His six-foot-something frame, tall and intimidating. “What are you doing here?” He demanded, his face flushed and the smallest jitter was evident in his hands.

She bit her lip, trying to think of an excuse until she realized that really, she didn’t need one. She stood up straight and placed a confident hand on her hip. “Who was that you were speaking to?”

Pierre worked his poker face back into place, “I believe that’s none of your business.”

“It is when you mention my name.” She was leaning toward him now, not showing any signs of backing down. One thing she hated was when she was made a fool out of and she wasn’t about to let him, of all people, do that. She had sacrificed a lot to be taken seriously by her father and yet, this stranger who was slippery and deceitful had only had to flash some money to earn her father’s respect. It wasn’t right and if she could prove to her father that he wasn’t as loyal as he had first expected then maybe, just maybe she could earn his respect through merit rather than just name.

Unfortunately for her, Pierre too, was refusing to back down. He had wormed his way out of the bedroom and locked the door closed behind him, another mannerism which aroused suspicion in Debbie. “What else did you hear?” He asked, his confidence beginning to build as Debbie’s waned.

“Enough.” She bluffed; he didn’t need to know that she had only heard very little. As far as he was concerned she could have been listening into the conversation for its entirety. “I’m sure my dad wouldn’t be happy to hear about this.”

And just like that, her father appeared behind her, a firm hand squeezing her shoulder. “Deborah, a word.” He ushered her away and she couldn’t help but notice that sickly, apologetic head nod that he presented to Pierre.

Debbie sent a sarcastic smile over her shoulder to him as she followed her father down the hallway. Pierre scuttled back to the living room, looking just like one of those rats that were often seen running around outside the Moulin Rouge. “Dad, I’m glad you intervened.” She adopted her most formal tongue, the one she always used when she was hoping that her father would take her seriously.

“What do you think you’re doing?” He interrupted and Debbie frowned, taken aback by her father’s dismissive rudeness.

She cleared her throat, doing her best to recover from the sting that she felt in her chest from being treated in such a way by her own father. Family loyalty certainly didn’t seem to include her just yet. “I heard Pierre talking to someone on the phone about money and he mentioned us. He’s gonna screw us over, I know it.”

Johnny shook his head and bowed his head down so that his eyes were level with his daughters. “You don’t know anything.”

For some reason, she felt like she wanted to cry but she’d be damned if she did so. She knew that her father was trying to belittle her; she had seen him display these tactics before but never to her. “Dad, you can’t trust him.” She said as firmly as she could, but she could already hear her voice beginning to wobble and that burning gaze was doing little to help her recover.

“You will speak no more of this and leave it to me, understand?” Johnny was speaking directly, he wasn’t shouting but he was using that voice that he used to use when she was a child and had been caught doing something that she shouldn’t have been. Why was it that she was the one who was getting into trouble when she had only put her family’s needs first? None of this was fair and none of it made any sense to her.

She didn’t understand why he wasn’t taking anything seriously or maybe he was but he was keeping his cards close to his chest. She didn’t know but whatever the reason was, it was still disrespectful. “You’re going to take him off the heist though?” She asked, because that was really the least that could be done to punish such a breach of trust.

“No, everything goes ahead as planned,” Johnny replied calmly as if Pierre’s behavior had been nothing more than a simple conversation about the weather.

Another frown covered her forehead, “But he’s gonna screw us over, I know it.”

“No more of this.” Johnny pulled himself away from her and stood up straight. He placed his hands in his pockets and walked away without any further communication, leaving Debbie alone in the hallway.

Usually, after speaking to her father she felt about two feet tall, this time she felt even smaller. She watched as her father’s lean, receding form exited down the staircase. “Whatever. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.” She whispered under her breath, if only to make herself feel a little better.

There was no chance in hell that she was going to return to the living room and engage in small talk as if the whole situation hadn’t happened. Instead, she stalked back to the hotel, the walk proving to come in handy as it meant that she got to blow off some steam while she marched back. The first thing she did when she had returned, was reach for the telephone; she had to postpone her usual phone call with Lou due to that damn party and she didn’t want to wait a minute longer to speak to her. She needed her.

Lou seemed to take forever to answer and she was suddenly worried that she hadn’t made it back to their house. She was about to fully freak out when she heard the click of the receiver and her favorite Australian accent vibrating through the line. “Hey, uh, Ocean’s residence.”

Debbie smiled, a feeling of relief sweeping over her at the sound of Lou’s dorky greeting. “I’ve never been happier to hear your voice.”

Lou chuckled as she realized who it was that she was speaking to. “And you say I’m the charming one?” Lou pulled the phone off of the extension lead and walked back through to Debbie’s bedroom, tossing herself down onto the comfortable bed.

“Did you get back okay?” Debbie asked, her own situation becoming a second thought as she remembered that Lou had traveled all that way through the busy city on only a flimsy motorcycle.

Lou could hear the worry in Debbie’s voice and her heart swelled, nothing felt as nice as knowing that Debbie was there for her, even if she was on the other side of the globe. “Yeah, I had breakfast with Donna earlier and now I’m snuggled up in your bed wishing that you were with me.”

A sigh passed her lips, one of sadness, frustration and wishing that she could just snap her fingers and return to Lou’s side. “I wish I was with you. It sucks here.” She let those words sink in and that familiar feeling of a punch to the gut returned.

Lou sensed that something was wrong right away and it was something much worse than just Debbie squabbling with her family. “What’s happened?” She asked and could hear another long sigh coming from the other end of the telephone.

She didn’t know where to begin; she had wasted the majority of their past conversations on being mad at Lou. It was finally time to get her up to speed. “My dad yelled at me for being rude to Pierre who is supposed to be working for us but it seems more like the other way around. He’s shady as fuck and no one seems to think so apart from me.”

Now it was Lou’s turn to sigh. “Your dad shouldn’t keep treating you like you’re a kid. You’re way too good to be treated like a piece of trash. I know he’s your dad but it’s true.” She hated not being with her, she hated that she couldn’t comfort her properly and she hated how she couldn’t make her see just how great she truly was. “Who is this Pierre dude anyway? Sounds like an asshole.”

Debbie smiled, Lou telling her exactly what she needed to hear at that moment, maybe she was too good to be treated in that way by her father. She hummed for a moment while she tried to think of the best way to describe the sticky weasel who had quickly become her number one enemy. “He’s some grody yuppie who runs a few businesses over here. He’s supposed to be helping us get into the Louvre tomorrow night. He knows all the security codes.” She thought about the last part of what she had said; he _was_ the only person who knew these codes. Maybe that was why her father had appeared to let him off with what she had told him.

“So the heist is tomorrow?” Lou asked, a slight ring of excitement in her voice. She was still confident that Debbie would thrive under the pressure; she had it in her to blow the entire Ocean family away.

Debbie nodded to herself, “Yeah, I can’t wait for it to be over actually. It’s not what I was hoping it would be. I feel like I’m back at school.” It really did and she wasn’t afraid to tell Lou exactly how she felt. She felt like a spare part, a second thought, a nuisance to the ‘real’ criminals. It wasn’t fun or exciting; if anything, it was boring and usually, that would be the very last word she would associate a heist as being.

“You’re much more of a leader,” Lou stated and she wasn’t surprised to learn that Debbie was less accustomed to taking the more submissive role. “Try and enjoy it though, you’re in Paris, remember? You’re international now, that’s a big deal for a criminal.”

“You’re right; I can’t let anyone else ruin this opportunity especially barfy Pierre.” She laughed and Lou did too and she promised herself that she would try her hardest to make the most of the opportunity that had been given to her. She turned to lay on her front, her legs crossing behind her; a change of subject long overdue. “What are you doing tomorrow?” She asked, she was beginning to feel more than just a little homesick. New York and Lou were always going to be her home.

“I don’t know, I might go shopping and buy you something nice for when you get back.” She hadn’t actually planned on anything past the current day but anything that involved keeping her mind off of her loneliness seemed to be a good notion.

“I like that idea.” Debbie grinned, memories of her and Lou’s past shopping trips flooding back to her. Her mind soon wandered to another memory that she had shared with Lou and a certain conversation that they had shared on the day before she had left. “Have you thought any more about seeing your mom?”

A long pause filled the line as Lou contemplated the issue of her mom again. She still, didn’t know what to do about that. She had so many unanswered questions but she still feared that it would cause her more harm than good. “I dunno, Deb. It seemed like a good idea before but now I’m not so sure.”

“Think about it, there’s no rush baby. Whenever you’re ready, it’s not like you owe her anything.” Debbie heard Lou hum in response and she realized that Lou’s relationship with her mother was even more complicated than she had first presumed. Families really were the worst sometimes. She nibbled on her bottom lip for a moment; it was still reasonably early and she knew that it would be her father who would be taking on the phone bill from the hotel. “I have a proposition for you.” The smile in her voice evident as she spoke.

“Oh yeah, what’s that?” Lou asked, her interest heightened as it always was whenever Debbie mentioned even the slightest hint of practically anything.

“You and I talking shit for the rest of the night. I need to keep my mind off of reality and you could use some of my wonderful company, what d’ya say?” Debbie asked and heard a short chuckle come from Lou. She planned on keeping her mind on Lou for the remainder of the night, besides they had a bunch of missed time to catch up on.

“You’re on, Ocean.” Lou was grinning, boldly and unashamedly; this was as close as it could be to spending the night with Debbie and she would definitely be making the most of it. “Okay,” She uttered, thinking of something extremely stupid she could ask Debbie, if only to hear that adorable laugh of hers again. “Which character from Fraggle Rock do you most relate to?” She had barely finished speaking before she was cut off by Debbie’s raucous laughter and she laughed too; it was going to be a good night.


	21. Shattered Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it seems that I do love to make these babies suffer. I am sorry.

It was raining and not just that gentle drizzly kind, it was the torrential, intolerant kind that would sure to drench you in mere minutes. Lou was sheltered under the apartment building opposite her former home. She hadn’t planned on going there but it was as if her feet had taken on a mind of their own and somehow she had retraced the route that was still embedded into her. She shouldn’t have stopped; she should’ve gone straight to the door because now she was having doubts and was regretting her choice to visit her mother.

She glanced up at the grey sky which showed no indication of brightening; she may as well get this over with. With one final deep breath, she sprinted across the street and raced up the familiar stairs of her old apartment building. She pressed the intercom, wondering if her mom would even let her inside but to her surprise, she was buzzed up immediately, her mother would surely be in for a shock when she found out who she would be opening the door to.

Very little had changed since she had last been there; the halls were still ambiguously long, the neighbors still cold and that false air of superiority still reaped around every corner. She reached the apartment door far too quickly and her hand was trembling as she reached out to knock on it. She could hear little from behind it but she knew that Rick would be at work; she had made sure of that fact beforehand.

The door was whipped open and she had to do her best to hold in the gasp that was threatening to make itself known. She looked _so_ different; the Jennifer Miller- Arnold from four years ago was a completely different person to the one that was standing hesitantly in the doorway. She was still tall and thin but her demeanor and usual confidence had all but shattered. Her hair was limp, her skin blotchy and her clothes were drab and stain ridden; she was a far cry from the glamorous, ambitious woman that Lou had remembered.

Lou tried to gain some composure, sensing the level of awkwardness rising with each passing second. It had been four years; of course, her mother would have changed in four years. “Hi, mom.” She greeted her nervously and didn’t dare go in for a hug or even so much as a handshake.

“Lou?” Jennifer looked at her daughter in disbelief; she was the last person that she had expected to be paying her a visit. “What are you doing here?” She ran a hand through her hair, positioning it so that it hid the bruising surrounding the side of her face.

Lou could see right away what she had been doing but she didn’t say anything because she knew that her mom wouldn’t react well. She wanted to stay at least five minutes before an argument kicked off. “Nice to see you too.” She added a hint of a smile and she could see her mom’s shoulders droop a little, her defensiveness already beginning to falter.

“Come in. The place is a mess; I’m in the middle of cleaning.” Jennifer held open the door and let Lou walk inside. In that split second, it was as if nothing had changed but it had, and unfortunately, things would never be able to return to the way that they had been all those years ago.

She never asked why her mom was cleaning and she never asked what had happened to their previous housekeeper who Rick had employed ostentatiously, “It’s okay.” She shrugged absentmindedly, too busy taking in her surroundings which filled her with a longing nostalgia that she never knew that she held. The apartment still looked the same, it was still full of expensive yet useless items and it still appeared ‘perfect’.

“Hi!” The small voice jolted her out of her thoughts and before she knew it, her leg had been captured by the little blonde-haired boy beside her.

“Is this Matt?” She asked and picked him up; the last time that she had seen her half-brother was when he was a baby. His arms wrapped around her lovingly, as if a part of him knew exactly who she was.

“Matty, this is Lou. She’s a friend.” She received a scowl from Lou but only offered her a shrug in return.

“Seriously?” Lou put down Matty and he clutched onto her hand leading her over to the couch at the other side of the room. She sat down beside him and he started to show her some of his favorite toys.

“He’s at an impressionable age, unless you plan on sticking around then I’m not going to tell him who you really are.” Jennifer followed and sat down on the couch opposite, her eyes burning into Lou as if she may attempt to steal her son.

Lou ignored her, she had expected this kind of behavior, her relationship with her mother had never been great and it had only deteriorated when her dad had been sent down. “Hey, Matty.” He clambered into her lap and she wrapped her arms around him to keep him safely in place.

“Where have you been living all this time?” Jennifer asked, her eyes still very much on her son.

“Places,” She answered vaguely because her mom didn’t even deserve to know the answer to that question. She had made her decision when she had chosen her abusive stepfather over her.

“Do you need money?”

She swallowed the lump of disdain in her throat, “No, God no. I wouldn’t come to you for money; I’ve got my own now.” She looked down at the red fire truck that was being thrust into her hands and grinned at Matty who seemed to be completely oblivious to the tension in the room.

Jennifer’s interest was piqued, she had thought about what had happened to Lou a lot since she had left. A million different scenarios had filled her head and she was glad that Lou seemed to be doing all right. “You got a job?”

Lou smiled, despite how unconventional her money making ways were, she was proud of what she and Debbie had achieved so far. “Yeah, I’m a partner actually.”

“Sounds fancy,” She nodded and looked down at her hands for a moment before looking back up. “Why are you here, Lou?”

She had asked herself that many times and she still hadn’t reached a definitive answer, everything between them just felt so unfinished. “I dunno, curiosity, closure. Maybe a small part of me even missed you.” Her voice was softer and she held onto Matty a little tighter, he had stopped wriggling and his head was leaning against her chest.

“I’ve missed you, you know?  It gets lonely sometimes, Matty sleeps a lot. Rick’s always working; business isn’t doing so great.”

As soon as his name was mentioned her anger had grown. It was his fault, everything was his fault and still, her mother did not see that. He was the reason why she had left and that habit that her mom had adopted of tucking her hair out from behind her ear so it draped her face was only proving to her that she had made the correct decision all those years ago. “Take it out on you, does he?” She couldn’t not ask, her eyes burning into the dark bruise which gave her all the answers that she needed anyway.

“If you came here to accuse Rick then you can leave,” She folded her arms over her chest, denial was all that she knew. She had made her choices and she had to live with them and make the most of what she had chosen. Besides, it wasn’t like she could just leave; she had nothing, not a penny to her name. Everything that she did have belonged to her husband and he made sure that he reminded her of that every day.

She looked down at the boy in her lap who was talking quietly to himself about fire trucks and she rested her hand on the side of his head protectively. She had never liked kids or never even spoken to them but this was different, this was her brother and he bared such a striking resemblance to her that it was almost impossible to ignore that fact. “He doesn’t hurt Matty, does he?”

“He wouldn’t lay a finger on that kid,” She watched as her two children bonded, how different things could have been had that night not have happened.

“Don’t have a problem hitting us though.” She said bitterly, and that was enough to make her mom end their meeting.

“You need to leave.” Jennifer stood up and pointed at the door but Lou could see the nerves that she was displaying. She could see that her mom wasn’t happy, she could see that she was scared and she was lost; she could see just how much of herself was in her mom.

“No!” Matty broke the tension and clung onto Lou for dear life as she stood up, the kid still in her arms.

She placed him down gently and he reluctantly let go of her but stayed close. She knelt down to reach his level and gave him a hug, whispering in his ear so that Jennifer wouldn’t be able to hear what she was saying. “I’ll be back soon, I promise.”

“Matty, go to your room.” Jennifer said sternly and Matty did as he was told, his feet trailing as he left Lou and retreated back to his bedroom.

Lou watched him go, he was so young, so innocent, he didn’t deserve this kind of life. He may be safe now but what about when he got older? Rick clearly didn’t have a problem with hitting kids; she couldn’t bear to think of him hurting her little brother. When he was out of sight, she walked toward the front door where her mom was waiting for her impatiently. She couldn’t just ignore all of this, not anymore. She was a big sister, a responsibility that she had regrettably forgotten about for a while; she had to look out for him.

Jennifer grabbed Lou’s wrist as she passed her at the door, “Look, I know you just wanna help but I don’t need it. This is my life and you’ve got yours now, you look like you’re doing good for yourself.”

“Look after Matty.” She hissed and pulled her arm free from the fingers that had been clamped around it. “Bye, mom.”

She was almost running out of the building, her eyes were stinging and all she wanted to do was scream. The rain hit her immediately, cold, hard drops ricocheting off of her leather jacket.  She started to run, leaping over puddles and dodging umbrellas until she reached the subway station at the end of the street. She had a million questions, a million thoughts occupying every crevice of her mind. She needed a plan, just like those wondrous plans that Debbie was so good at conducting; only this time it would need to be more of a rescue mission.

* * *

The night was cold and she had pulled the sleeves of her sweater down so that she could warm her hands inside of them. The journey was silent, everyone focused on their own mission. Debbie was looking out of the front window, the incident that took place during the previous night seemed to have been forgotten by everyone apart from her.

Pierre was driving the van, her dad was at the front beside him and she, Danny and her mom were all sitting in the back. She glanced over at Danny who was pressing his thumbs together, loud puffs of air coming from his mouth. She wondered what he was thinking, if he was nervous or whether he trusted Pierre as much as her father pretended to.

She would be working closely with Danny. Her role was to shadow him and make sure that she had his back at all times. Pierre would be getting them inside and then be waiting in the van. She and Danny would be the ones to get past the security systems first as they were the fastest, making sure that the path was then clear for their parents. Her dad would be the one to do the hard work, navigating the stolen jewels from the vault and into his bag, Angie would be his shadow.

They pulled up at the side of an almost empty street. Johnny turned around in his seat so that he was facing them. “This is it. We all know what we’re doing?”

Debbie nodded confidently; her doubts surrounding Pierre seeming to disintegrate as the heist itself took up all of her concentration. She was under strict instruction to keep her head down at all times, if any camera got an image of her face then she was all but caught. Danny told her it was easy, just look at the floor the whole time and glance up with your eyes. That way you could see things but the camera couldn’t see you. It sounded easy enough, besides, she’d be behind Danny the whole time; it really did sound easy.

“Debbie?” Her father called her name, breaking her out of her focus.

She looked up at him; he probably wanted to make sure that she wasn’t nervous. “Yeah?”

“A change of plan. We need someone on the outside to keep a lookout.” He said it so simply as if it didn’t completely shatter her confidence.

She looked over at her mom and then at Danny; both of them staring at their feet. She was supposed to be going in with them, a real part of the team. She wasn’t supposed to be playing the part of a lookout, which everyone knew was the easiest part to play. “Isn’t that what Pierre is doing?”  She asked and heard a grunt coming from the driver’s seat.

“No, he’s the getaway.” Johnny had adopted that tone of voice that signaled that he was bored with the conversation.

“But you said that I’d be going in with you guys.” Her voice was stern and the anger was beginning to rise, she could feel Danny’s eyes move to her but she ignored him, she had to fight for what she wanted.

Johnny had assessed his options; he had been back and forth on the idea ever since their arrival in Paris. The events of the previous night had confirmed that Debbie was not ready just yet. She was too fiery, maybe even too ambitious. He didn’t know whether he could trust her to do what she was being told to. Having her on the outside would save him the worry. “It’s too much of a risk to have an extra person going in when we don’t need them. You’ll be outside standing between the entrance and the van. If anything don’t look right, you gesture to Pierre who will sound the car alarm, got it?”

“So I’m just standing there and keeping watch?”

“Yeah, now let’s get you in place.”

“But…” Debbie felt the cool hand on her knee and she stopped herself from saying anything further. She looked at Danny who looked a lot more serious than she had ever seen him look before.

He leaned in closer to her and spoke softly. “Deb, listen to me. You need to do what he says, if you don’t the whole thing will be fucked.”

Debbie lowered her voice too and heard her father’s door close as he stepped out from the van. “He’s making me a damn lookout; a kid could do that job.”

He felt for his sister, he really did, because he knew how hard she had worked for this. “I’ve done it before, it’s easy money. Just do it, okay?” He couldn’t hide the slight pleading in his voice because if Debbie were to refuse the position then he doubted that Johnny would even consider her as still being his daughter.

“Not like I have any other option.” Debbie clambered over Danny and made her way out of the back of the van. It was even colder outside; had she have known that she would be standing outside in the cold then she would have worn something warmer than a thin, black sweater. She stood on the corner of the square, the view of the Louvre to one side of her and the view of the street and the parked van on the other. She watched as her family and Pierre walked toward the entrance, Pierre doing something that appeared to deactivate the alarm to the doors. Within seconds her family was inside and Pierre was ambling back to the van, acting as inconspicuously as he could.

Debbie sighed, kicking the ground with the scuff of her boot. She should be going in there with her family, not standing outside in the cold like some spare part. She wished that Lou were there, if she was then they would come up with their own plan, maybe it wouldn’t have been as extravagant as the Louvre, but it would have certainly been fun and more importantly, she would have been playing an important part.

She remained alert, checking over her shoulder on every count of five that she made in her head. She hated being the lookout but she wasn’t going to mess it up, she knew how dire the repercussions would be if she did. The city was loud, almost as loud as Manhattan but the area itself was reasonably quiet given the time of night that it was. All the noise was coming from the city center and the park which was across the street from them was so dimly lit that she doubted anybody would be taking a night time stroll through there.

It seemed to all come to an end much quicker than she had predicted and before she knew it she heard a scuffle from behind her, followed by the footsteps of Danny and then Johnny and then Angie. The three of them walked toward her with their heads held high; looking like something out of a bad action movie. She rolled her eyes and made her way back to the van, not even acknowledging her family despite secretly wanting to know all of the details of how it all went down.

Pierre started the engine as soon as she got inside and it wasn’t long before the remainder of the Ocean’s filtered in. Danny reclaimed his seat beside Debbie, grinning from ear to ear. “Another triumph,” he announced to the group and was followed by nods and cheers from each of his parents.

“Did you really expect anything less, son?” Johnny asked and started to root through the bag that was on his lap, admiring each and every piece of treasure that he had stolen.

Debbie smiled, she was happy for Danny, at least. Also, she would still get a cut in the heist, it wasn’t all bad. Pierre was driving them back to his house; he had a vault in his basement which, according to her father, made the perfect hideaway for their stolen goods.

She leaned her head back on the cool metal of the van, trying to mentally prepare herself for the rest of the night ahead of her. Pierre had managed to get them tickets for an exclusive party and Johnny had jumped at the chance to show off his ever-growing wealth. After this success, he was sure to be even more overly confident than before. Again, she found herself longing for New York, but even more so, she found herself longing for Lou Miller.


	22. Listen to your Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys, work has been kicking my ass lately. But here,have some cuteness <3

Debbie’s foot started to tap impatiently, the heel of her stiletto presenting a soft clatter against the marble floor each time that she did so. On the ninth unanswered tone, she reluctantly gave up and placed the receiver down. She had attempted to call Lou once at the hotel while she was changing and twice already at the party. This was the fourth attempt and still, there was no response.

She bit on her bottom lip anxiously, Lou was just out, that was all it could be. It was about seven in New York, Lou would be out, getting dinner or even at a Broadway show, there would be a simple explanation as to why she wasn’t at the house.  She ambled back into the ballroom, she was the youngest one there by far and wherever she looked there were groups of people talking or couples dancing. She felt completely out of place.

She noticed Danny at the bar, a martini sitting untouched in front of him, he looked deep in thought and that was her invitation to join him. “Hey.” She chimed, hopping up on the barstool beside him and ordering herself a martini of her own. She had never actually tried one but her brother had always been fond of them and they looked classy, so what the hell?

 “Hey,” Danny replied as Debbie took a cautious sip of the martini that had been presented in front of her.

She swallowed and had to try her hardest not to display the distaste on her face. Gin certainly wasn’t her spirit of choice. “How do you drink these things?” She pushed the glass a fraction in front of her so that she had enough room to prop her elbows up onto the bar, her chin resting on her knuckles.

“Acquired taste.” He gave her a smile; martinis had been his signature drink for as long as he could remember.  Debbie had turned up her nose and was now staring ahead of herself in silence, it hadn’t taken long for Danny to realize that the previous events were still playing on her mind.  “How are you feeling?” He asked after a few moments of silence.

Debbie groaned and continued to stare ahead of her because she knew that if she turned to face Danny then she was likely to show a little more emotion than she wanted to. “Crappy. I can’t even look dad in the eye and all I want to do is rant to Lou and she’s not even picking up. You didn’t know about the change of plan, did you?” She glanced over then, not fully but enough to be able to read his expression.

“No, of course not. I would’ve warned you.” He shook his head, a little upset that Debbie had even asked the question. He had her back, he always had done and he always would do, it was what big brothers did after all. “He shouldn’t have done that.”

She nodded once and looked down at her drink, the clear liquid still remaining at the brim of the glass. “I don’t know if these whole family heists are my thing.” She regretted that admission because she had tried so hard for things to work out and she always saw how much attention Danny had received from the heists and she wished that she could have received the same amount. Being involved in one was different though and she could see that Danny didn’t have as much control as she thought that he had done. They may be called ‘Ocean heists’ but really, they were nothing more than her father’s heists.

Danny seemed to agree with that notion and started to tap his fingers on the bottom of his glass. “Tell me about it, they get less entertaining every time. You don’t need ‘em, Deb.” He had told himself the same things many times and yet, he still joined in with every single one.

“You think I’m good enough to do my own thing?” She took out the olive from her drink and started to roll it between her thumb and forefinger, slightly nervous in regards to what Danny’s response would be.

“Yeah, for sure. Just don’t hit anywhere I want to.”

Debbie laughed, a swelling of pride forming in her stomach. It wasn’t her father’s approval but it was Danny’s and Danny was a damn good thief in his own right. “I can’t make no promises.” She dropped the olive back into her drink and watched the ripples that it created in the liquid. “When are we leaving anyway?”

“A week or so, I guess.”

“That long?”

“There’s a lot of things to sort out, loose ends.” Danny shrugged, he had assumed that Johnny had filled Debbie in on the next part of their scheme but it seemed that he hadn’t.

“Right.” Debbie nodded sadly, she was well and truly over this whole heist and all she wanted to do was return to New York. She hadn’t expected to spend yet another week there and she doubted that she would be given anything to do anyway.

“Why are you still here, Deb?” Danny asked abruptly and Debbie turned to face him with a frown on her face.

“The job.” She answered matter-of-factly; she always had to finish a job.  That was what her dad had always told her but then, he had also told her that she was going to be working with Danny in the heist and that had turned out to be false.

“You’ve done your bit, you’ve proved yourself. If I were you I’d go home, go to your girl.” Danny shoved her elbow with his, prompting his sister to do just that.

And that was when the penny seemed to drop and she stood up, “You’re right. What am I doing being miserable here when I could be back with Lou?”

“Beats me.”

She wrapped her arms around Danny and squeezed him tightly; appreciating everything that he had said which had made her finally see sense. “Thanks, Dan, you loser.”

“You don’t always have to insult me you know?” Danny smiled, knowing only too well that that was their thing.

“I know, see you in a week… Butthead.” Debbie laughed before seeking out her parents; she doubted that they would put up much of a fight when she told them that she was leaving Paris.

* * *

As soon as the rain had stopped she had left the house. She needed to think, to clear her head and to attempt some sort of plan. It hadn't been as easy as she had thought though and she had been wandering around the city for hours with very little progress being made.

She had found herself in some shady area in the lower east side; her thoughts jumbled and rapidly slipping to that of the unsavory. It hadn’t taken much for her to be convinced into buying a certain drug which she knew that she shouldn’t have. She had dabbled with cocaine before but she had never become an addict and she hadn’t taken it in years, which was why she was starting to regret even buying the stuff.

The phone startled her, the loud vibrations of the telephone seeming to echo through the entire living room. She leaped up from the couch, knowing exactly who it was that was calling. “Hello,” she answered, already looking forward to hearing Debbie’s voice on the other end. She had never needed more of a distraction.

Debbie held the phone to her ear with her shoulder while struggling to shove a handful of sweaters into her suitcase. “Lou! I’m coming home.” She sang as soon as she heard Lou’s voice on the other end of the receiver.

Lou smiled, a sigh of relief passing her lips because she had never needed Debbie more than she did right about now. “When?” She asked and tried not to sound too demanding but she was pretty sure that she had failed in doing so.

“Now. Well, I’m getting the next flight; I’m done with this heist.” She had given up with folding her clothes and they were now screwed up and bundled into the case in every which way.

“You’re coming home now?” Lou asked, she had expected Debbie to be calling to tell her the details of the heist and she was pleasantly surprised to find out that she would be returning sooner than expected.

Debbie stopped what she was doing and stood up straight, holding the phone to her ear with her hand. “Yeah, you sound weird. What’s going on? Are you okay?” She was still wondering why Lou hadn’t answered her calls from earlier that night.

Lou swallowed, she didn’t know how Debbie did it but she could always tell when something wasn’t quite right with her. “Yeah, yeah I’m fine.”

“Talk to me.” Debbie pressed, she was completely frozen to the spot now, packing becoming the last thing on her mind.

She loved that Debbie actually wanted to know what was going on, and as much as she wanted to tell her, she knew that it would be better to do so in person. She also wasn’t ready to talk about it all just yet, not when Debbie wasn’t physically with her.  “I’ll fill you in when you get back, it’s a long story. How much did you get for the heist? Did it go well?”

The heist still left a bad taste in her mouth and she groaned at the mention of it. “Nothing yet but Danny’s lending me $500 for the flight back.”

Lou waited for a further explanation which never came. “Why are you coming back early for?” She asked, sensing that all hadn’t gone as smoothly as she had hoped.

“Ha, I’ll fill you in when I get back.” Debbie laughed dryly and wound the cord of the phone around her index finger. She knew that Lou would understand how she was feeling but she really didn’t have much time to spare if she wanted to make the flight that she intended to.

Lou heard a small sigh coming from Debbie’s end of the phone and she didn’t know whether it was one of hurt, tiredness or something else entirely. She walked back over to where she had been sitting, the cord of the phone stretching to its limit. “I can’t wait to see you.”

Debbie smiled; “Me either, I love you.” She whispered and she wanted to spill all of the details about the heist to Lou right then but she knew it had to wait. Besides, it wouldn’t be that long until she was back with her, it would be worth the wait. “I should go pack. I’ll see you soon though.” She continued to smile despite the current mess that her hotel room was in, she never had been a huge fan of packing.

“See you soon, Deb.” She kept the phone to her ear until the dial tone replaced Debbie’s voice and then she slowly placed it face down onto the table top. She looked down at the small clear bag which was now occupying the position next to the telephone. The white powder staring up at her like poisonous snow; it would have been so easy. So easy to take that magical powder and have everything be forgotten. She could escape from her worries and her loneliness and that constant image of her innocent little brother living under the roof of an abuser. It would have been so easy to take it but she knew that it wouldn’t have been worth it.

Debbie would be back tomorrow and she was better than any drug out there. She grabbed hold of the bag and practically ran toward the bathroom. She emptied it out into the toilet without a second thought. She didn’t need it; not anymore.

* * *

She had no idea of what the time actually was, half of her was back in New York but the other half still seemed to be in Paris. It was still dark though which was a good sign seeing as she was completely exhausted. In her haste to leave Paris, she had momentarily forgotten about the time difference, meaning that she got to surprise Lou on her earlier than expected return.

The house was quiet and she had to do her best to keep it remaining so. Her suitcase was massive and this time she had nobody to help her get it through the door, the cab driver leaving as soon as he had gotten her case out of the trunk for her. She left it in the living room, not even trying to attempt to get it upstairs in one piece.

It was still tidy, looking exactly how it had done the day that they had left. She wondered if Lou had cleaned, it looked like she had. She poured herself a glass of water, catching her breath from the previous struggle with the suitcase. It was nice to be home.

She crept upstairs, taking two at a time because her excitement to see Lou was getting the better of her. Her bedroom door was cracked open, the light from the hallway seeping into the room to create a gentle glow. Lou was asleep, her back turned to the door, a mess of blonde hair covering the pillow. She stayed at the door for a moment, watching the gentle rise and fall of Lou’s chest. Yeah, it sure was nice to be home.

She slipped off her shoes and placed her jacket on the chair in the corner of the room. Then she tiptoed over to the bed, lifting the covers and gently slipping in beside her girlfriend. Lou was warm and she instantly scooted closer to her, an arm wrapping around her waist and pulling her closer to her.

Lou stirred, a hand finding Debbie’s arm and holding on to it. “Mhm, Deb?”  She mumbled, her voice laced with sleep and disorientation.

Debbie hushed her and kissed the shell of her ear. “Go back to sleep, baby.” She brushed some of Lou’s hair to the side and snuggled closer to her.

Lou’s eyes closed once more but not before she laced her fingers into Debbie’s. “I love you.” She whispered before returning to sleep.

Debbie smiled to herself, her own exhaustion rapidly catching up with her. “I love you too,” she whispered back and placed another soft kiss to Lou’s ear. She closed her eyes, the smile still present; she never wanted to leave Lou ever again.


	23. Lean on Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this chapter is a little heavy but I tried to soften it the best way I know how, with some Loubbie hugs. <3

They had slept until midday, both of them thankful for the rest and the additional comfort of having one another back home. Lou was still in bed, leaning against the propped up pillows and waiting for Debbie to return from the kitchen. She still hadn’t filled her in about her family but she knew that she needed to; they didn’t keep secrets from each other, not anymore.  

Debbie breezed in through the door, balancing two mugs of coffee, one in each hand. Being back home had improved her mood considerably. “Coffee, Parisian style.” She handed a mug to Lou before clambering back into bed and scooting up close to her.

She clutched onto the mug, her long fingers wrapping around it in attempts to gather all of the warmth that it was offering. The weather seemed to be getting a lot colder recently; winter was definitely not far away. “What does that mean?” She asked, looking down at the coffee which looked no different to how Debbie usually made it.

Debbie chuckled, resting her head onto Lou’s shoulder. “Just means it’s extra strong.”

There was a short silence between them and Lou reveled in the comfort that she was receiving from Debbie. Sometimes all she needed was some human contact to make herself feel a hundred times better and God, had she missed her Debbie. She took a cautious sip of her drink, Debbie wasn’t joking when she had said it was strong. She swallowed before breaking the silence between them. “Tell me about the heist. Did it go well?”

Debbie hesitated, forgetting for a moment that Lou didn’t actually know how the heist had all gone down. “We got the shit we needed if that’s what you mean.” She tapped her fingernails against her mug, her agitation beginning to grow again; she was beyond fed up with her family.

“But?” Lou prompted, her voice soft, sensing that whatever had happened had not worked in Debbie’s favor.

Debbie ceased the tapping. “All I did was wait outside and keep watch.”

“Fuck, I’m sorry, Deb.” She popped her coffee on the floor and wrapped her arms around Debbie. She knew how much that heist had meant to her. She knew how long she had waited to prove herself and she knew, only too well, what her father could be like.

She shrugged, placing her mug on the bedside table so that she could properly hug Lou back. She had missed her hugs, she always gave really good hugs. She gently pulled away after a few seconds, an affectionate smile covering her lips. “I was thinking about it a lot on the flight back and I think that maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing. It just proves that no matter what I do my parents aren’t ever gonna believe in me. I need to stop trying to impress them 'cause they don’t care. You and Dan believe in me and that’s all that matters.”

Debbie was still so close to her, their arms were touching and Debbie had her hand rested comfortably on her thigh. Part of her was glad that Debbie had realized what she had, she didn’t need anyone’s acceptance especially not that of her parents. Still, she hated that Debbie had to realize that in such a way. “I think you’re the best thief out there. You don’t need their approval; we stole something massive all by ourselves without the help of some shady French dude, bet your dad couldn’t do that.” Lou nudged her elbow and Debbie’s smile widened.

“He’d make me or Danny scope out the area first. From now on, I only wanna work with you.” She smiled, maybe the whole situation had been a blessing in disguise. It only enthused her more to pull off heists with Lou and she hoped that they'd be pulling another one off in the not so distant future. 

“I don’t hold any objections to that.”

“Good.” Debbie pulled Lou into a kiss, her lips warm and soft against hers. She lightly brushed Lou’s hair behind her ears once she pulled away, looking deep into her cool blue eyes. “It was torture being in Paris without you. What have you been doing while I was away?”

Lou’s shoulders tensed at that question, she had put it off for too long, now was the time to tell Debbie what had happened. “I went to see my mom.” It came out so controlled yet, weirdly natural, as if she had just met up with her mother for a  breezy conversation over a cup of coffee and a bagel. If only.

Debbie arched an eyebrow, unable to read Lou’s tone, “And…?”

She bowed her head, “It’s bad Deb, it’s really bad.”

Debbie started to panic, her heart rate increasing, her eyes burning into Lou’s searching for more information from her. “What is? What’s happened?”

“Fucking Rick.” She took a deep breath, trying not to let her anger get the better of her. She was so tired of being angry, besides, it never seemed to get her anywhere.

Debbie tried to calm her, placing her hands on either of her shoulders and waiting until Lou was looking at her once again before speaking. “Start from the beginning, tell me everything.” She tried to soothe her, running her thumb gently over Lou’s cheek until she saw that the anger in her eyes had calmed.

Lou was silent for quite some time; she didn’t know just how much she should be telling Debbie. She had kept so many things to herself over the years, so many painful memories that she had never even dreamt of saying aloud. Debbie weaved her hand into hers, letting her know that she was right there beside her, not wanting her to feel afraid or judged. She took a deep breath, she trusted Debbie, and she was finally ready to tell her everything about her past, about her family and just how traumatic her younger years had been. “I never,” she paused, angrily swallowing the lump in her throat. Debbie squeezed her hand, silently supporting her. A moment later she felt comfortable enough to continue, “I never told you what happened on the night that I left home.”

Debbie was nibbling her bottom lip, scared to find out the damning truth because she already thought that Lou had gone through far too much as it was. “You don’t have to tell me if it’s too hard, baby.” She whispered and Lou shook her head, determined to proceed.

“No, I want to. I need to.” She gave her a small smile, both for encouragement and reassurance. “So, I told you that Rick moved us out here, right? Things got pretty bad almost as soon as we got here. School was awful and I never really did get on with Rick. Then little Matty came along and he was crying all the time and Rick was always angry. I used to stay out of the house as much as I could which upset mom." She could still remember those days so clearly; the fear of being at home, the fear of not being at home and knowing only too well that she would be greeted with nothing but resentment as soon as she returned.

Debbie nodded, taking in everything that Lou was telling her. She hated Rick, she hated him so much and she hadn’t even met him. She wondered what it would have been like if she had met Lou sooner, she hated how she wasn’t there for her back then. Lou cleared her throat, the small cough shaking her out of her daydream; she gave her hand another squeeze, encouraging her to continue.

“One night I came home late and Matty was up screaming because he was teething. Rick started yelling at me and I yelled back and I was so mad at him and then… Then he just, he hit me.” Her voice broke on the last words and Debbie pulled her into her chest and held her tighter than she had ever been held before. She clung on to her, sniffing back all the tears that started to escape her eyes. Debbie just held on, rocking her gently and stroking her hair tenderly.

Lou stayed wrapped up into Debbie until her breathing had returned to its normal pace. She slowly pulled away, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. Debbie kept a hand on her shoulder, not wanting to break their contact. “That son of a bitch,” she said under her breath while Lou continued to compose herself.

She linked her hand with Debbie’s free one, again wanting her support. “I got out of there as fast as I could and then, well, you know the rest.” She shrugged, already starting to feel a little better now that Debbie knew the full extent of her past.

“I’m so sorry he did that to you. Thank you for telling me.” Lou’s thumb was drawing patterns on the back of her hand and she looked down, watching the gentle circles that Lou was making. The motion suddenly stopped and she looked back up at Lou who was staring at the wall behind her, a vague look in her eye as if she was trying to work out the solution to a tough math problem.

“He’s doing it again now and I don’t know what to do.” She murmured, still looking at the wall behind Debbie.

“He’s hitting your mom?” She asked, not wanting to believe it.

A solemn nod caused her to look back at her. “Yeah, not Matty yet, thank God, but...”

“What happened when you went to see her?” She asked, not wanting for Lou to start to think about what would happen if he ever laid a hand on her brother. She knew that Lou would somehow blame herself.

“She denied it but it was obvious. She was covered in bruises. She’s so different to how I remember she was when I was a kid.” She started to daze again, this time her thoughts wandering to the past. When she was a kid, she wanted to be just like her mom. She had always been so confident and people always seemed to love being around her. She had become a complete shell of her former self.

“We need to get her and Matty out of there.” Debbie sat up a little straighter, her mind already setting itself to overdrive while she tried to think of a plan.

“She won’t leave, he owns her. There’s no way she’ll leave.”

“The police won’t do anything and they’ll only make him madder.” Debbie thought out loud, knowing that there wasn’t a chance in hell that she would resort to the police anyway, it was far too risky.

“She ain’t gonna leave him, Deb.” Lou repeated, recalling her mom’s defiance on the day that she had gone to visit her. He had complete control over her, both physically and mentally.

“We need to teach him a lesson.” Debbie stated firmly, it was the only way that her family knew how to settle their problems. She would have to take another leaf out of her family’s book but, this time it wouldn’t be over some stolen money or some missing jewels, this time it would be about life or death.

Lou could see the concentration on Debbie’s face and that familiar crease on her forehead had returned. “What are you thinking?”

“Like, he only hits people who won’t fight back, he’s a bully. Danny knows some guys; I could get him to help us.” She started to smile as somewhat of a plan started to form in her head.

“I dunno, that might make things worse.” She was already worried about this plan; she never did understand what went on in Rick Arnold’s mind.

“They’ll just rough him up a bit; show him what it’s like.”

She frowned, the thought of her brother returning to her. “Matty can’t see that though.”

“He won’t, I’ll make sure of it. I’ll get Danny on the case as soon as he gets home. It’s gonna be okay, he’ll get what’s coming to him, trust me.” She meant that too, anyone who hurt Lou also hurt her and she’d make sure that they wouldn’t be doing it again.

“You really think that it’ll work?” She was beginning to warm up to the idea; Debbie’s family seemed to have experience with how to deal with bullies. Surely, this wasn’t going to be much different.

“Yeah, you ain’t seen how big these guys are.”

“Thanks.” She managed a small smile, still not completely sold on the plan but Danny wasn’t going to be home for a few days which meant that she had some time to think about it.

Debbie could see the concern still evident on her face, and she leaned back on the bed stretching out her arms, inviting Lou to join her. “Tell me about your brother, sounds like he already has you wrapped around his little finger.”

Lou smiled, grateful for the lighter conversation. “As if.” She leaned back, falling into Debbie’s arms, her head resting on her shoulder. “He’s great though, I can’t wait for you to meet him.”

“Seems like I’ll soon be having to fight for your attention.” Debbie chuckled, pulling Lou closer to her. She wanted to keep her close, to let her know that she wasn’t alone in all of this and that she never would be from now on.

Lou only obliged, snuggling into Debbie and wrapping her arms around her; the smell of Debbie’s signature Chanel perfume mixed with the hint of coffee washing over her. She took long, deep breaths, starting to relax and just inhale the comfort that she had never known that she had needed for so long. Debbie started to play with her hair and she let her eyes flutter closed, her worries slowly beginning to diminish. She held onto her tightly as if she were a promise; a promise that everything was, somehow, going to be okay.


	24. Don't Stop Believin'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took me forever but it's an important chapter for our girls so I didn't want to rush it! I hope you like it, thank you again to everyone who's reading, love you guys!

There she was again; standing frozen in that very same spot that she had been in just days before. The gentle squeeze of her hand reminded her that this time she wasn’t alone. She ripped her eyes away from her previous home and looked over at Debbie who was watching her anxiously. “I’m starting to think this is a bad idea.”

Debbie already knew that Lou was having second thoughts; she had been practically silent during the whole journey over. They had decided to meet up with Lou’s mom together, Debbie wanted to see the situation that she would be dealing with and Lou sill hoped that she would be able to change things for her family without the need to pursue Debbie’s plan. “What’s bugging you?” She asked, swaying to the side so that her shoulder bumped against hers.

Lou smiled as Debbie’s side collided into her. “She’s not gonna listen to us, seems like a waste of time. You don’t know what she was like last time.” She grimaced; her mom had been so defiant that she didn’t want her to interfere with her life. She knew that whatever was about to happen was probably not going to end well.

“But we can help her this time, it’s a worth a try, right?” She glanced back over at the apartment block across the street; it was weirdly quiet for the area that it was in. It was also much closer to the Kluger’s place than she had expected it to be. She didn’t quite know how she felt about that, Lou had been so close to her mom and her brother the entire time.

Lou shrugged; her doubts still at the forefront of her mind. She was also worried that her mom was going to embarrass her in front of Debbie. That, somehow, Debbie would judge her for her mother’s behavior, she looked at her girlfriend again. Debbie’s eyes were fixed on her, warm and patient and full of concern. She knew she needn’t be worrying about losing her; she gave her a small smile to ease some of that trepidation in her eyes. “We’re here now, I ‘spose. And I do wanna see Matty again.”

“Me too, just tell me whenever you wanna leave and we will.” She leaned across, breaking the gap between them and kissing her softly on the cheek.

Lou smiled; feeling a little less worried than before but still feeling like this whole thing was a terrible idea. She took a deep breath before crossing the street with Debbie still right beside her. As before, her mom buzzed her up without so much as asking who it was at the door.

Lou’s grip on her hand was only getting tighter with every step that they took. She ushered her through the corridor and up a flight of stairs, each apartment door that she passed looked the same. The building was bigger inside than it looked and she wondered just how many people lived in the building. Lou stopped outside a door at the end of the corridor, and she let go of her hand to deliver a firm knock on it. She noticed that her hand lingered for a moment before she stuffed both of her hands in the pockets of her jacket and waited sheepishly for the door to be answered.

She hadn’t known what to expect. She had pictured Lou’s mom in her head many times, each time the image altering slightly. She figured she’d be tall because Lou was practically a giraffe. She’d also assumed that she’d be blonde because Lou was very blonde. She hadn’t expected what she found when that door was pulled open though.

Yes, she was tall and blonde but she looked almost lifeless, her skin pasty and each of her dull blue eyes was framed with dark circles. Her hair was long; a dirtier blonde than Lou’s and it was unbrushed and greasy. She tried not to stare at her but she couldn’t help it, Lou hadn’t been kidding when she had said that her mom was in a bad way.

“Lou, I told you not to come here anymore.” Jennifer closed the door to, so that the rest of the room could not be seen behind her. She looked at Debbie, her forehead creasing into a frown. “Who are you?”

“This is Debbie, she’s my girlfriend.” Lou spoke quickly, introducing Debbie before there was a chance of any awkward silences. Debbie thrust her hand out, as if she was about to make some kind of business deal or something, Lou couldn’t help but smile at that. Debbie was always a professional.

Jennifer never accepted Debbie’s hand, she just tutted and looked back at her daughter. “Still going through the girl’s only phase then? Thought you might be over that?” She didn’t mean that, not really, Lou’s sexuality had never really been an issue for her; Rick hated it though, of course.

Lou saw the deep glare on Debbie’s face almost immediately and she had pulled her hand back so quickly, she was surprised that she hadn’t gotten whiplash. “It’s not a phase.” She stated firmly, the same thing that she had said countless times before when she had first come out. She had thought that her mom had accepted her. “Debbie and I came to help.” Her mom remained stoic and Lou turned to Debbie, already feeling rejected. “I knew this was a bad idea.”

Debbie’s face softened as soon as she saw the look on Lou’s. She had never seen her so defeated before. She wanted to just say ‘screw it’ and leave with Lou, tell her that she was better off without her but she knew that she couldn’t. There was a reason why Lou was there, this was her mother, her mom who had raised her and had loved her for all of her childhood. No matter what had happened in recent years, nothing could change that and if Lou wanted to help her then she would be there supporting her through it. She gave Lou a small smile for encouragement before turning back to Jennifer Miller, who was still staring at both of them, as if she were waiting for them to fire their next shot. “Mrs Miller, just hear us out okay? We really can help you, we have a plan.”

Jennifer seemed to take a few moments to assess this claim, Debbie’s voice had been soft and, dare she say, caring. She hadn’t anything to lose by just hearing what it was that they were going to say, had she? “Five minutes.” She held the door open for them and Lou filed in with Debbie right behind her.

“It’ll be okay, I promise. We got this.” Debbie whispered in Lou’s ear, standing on the tips of her toes to make sure that she could reach her.

“Lou!” A small voice screeched from the other side of the room, before she even had the chance to thank Debbie. Before she knew it, her brother had bounded over and flung himself into her arms.

“Hey Matty,” Lou picked him up, cradling him in her arms as if he were a baby again. She smiled at the sound of his giggles and balanced him on the side of her hip so that she could introduce him to Debbie.

Debbie had never been fond of children, she found them cute enough when they were being quiet but most of the time she found them an irritant. Lou’s kid brother, on the other hand, was undeniably adorable. He had blonde curls and chubby pink cheeks and his blue eyes sparkled just like Lou’s did when she was happy. He grabbed one of her hands almost right away and introduced himself in an excitable voice.

Jennifer was watching their interactions, keeping a close eye on their behavior. Her impatience was getting the better of her though and she walked over to where they were standing, a hand situated on her hip. “What was this help that you have to offer?” She asked, the question aimed more at Lou despite Debbie being the one to introduce it.

Lou swallowed, unsure of how much detail she should give away about Danny and the Ocean’s in general. “Oh, well, Debbie’s brother is, um, he uh…”

Debbie interjected, sensing that Lou was unsure on how best to approach the subject. “He knows some big guys who really don’t like slimeballs who hit women and kids.”

Jennifer sighed, this whole idea seeming juvenile to her. “Seriously? You think your brothers mates are gonna solve all of my problems? I can cope, and I told you he’d never touch Matt.”

“He hit Lou though, didn’t he? Or doesn’t that matter?” Debbie dropped Matty’s hand, her anger rising. She stepped forward so that she was closer to Lou’s mother. She could see the way that she refused to meet her eye, how she could barely even look at Lou, her own daughter, for more than a couple of seconds before having to look away.

“Deb, don’t,” Lou whispered but she knew that once Debbie had something on her mind then she was going to be saying it.

She looked over her shoulder when she heard Lou’s fragile voice. She was gripping onto Matty as if he were a comfort blanket, “No, he hit you.” Her voice broke and she cleared her throat quickly to disguise it. She turned back to Jennifer who still remained fairly emotionless and that look of nothingness only made her angrier. “He hit your daughter and she left and what did you do? Did you even look for her? Did you even care about what happened to her?” Her voice was loud and strong, dominant amongst the almost silent home. She didn’t want to start a fight, that was the last thing that she wanted but she wanted Lou’s mom to see what she had done, to see what she had given up on. Lou was confident, talented, encaptivating, a real force to be reckoned with; but, back then she was a frightened, young woman, lost and alone, too scared to even return home.

Her brother had curled up into her, his arms wrapped tightly around her neck and his face buried into her hair. She was holding him back just as tightly, wanting nothing else but to protect him from the cruel world that she knew only too well. She could see the anger radiating from Debbie, her passionate eyes fiery and alive; defending her like a lion would defend its cub. It made her feel so wanted, protected and loved; feelings that she hadn’t felt in such a long time. She took a step forward and she could feel Debbie’s eyes glance over to her. She didn’t know what to say and now her mother’s eyes were on her too. She didn’t look angry though, she looked ashamed and it was a look that was so hurtful that she had to look away.

Debbie placed a supportive hand on her elbow, making sure that she was okay because she knew that Lou’s mind was always on overdrive especially when she was being quiet. She hoped she hadn’t overstepped the mark but her anger had gotten the better of her. Lou was her number one priority, and this woman had done her wrong for many years and she didn’t seem the least bit apologetic about it.

The silence was almost unbearable, Matty appeared to be asleep in Lou’s arms and Lou, herself, was staring intently at the ground. Debbie was watching Lou, her eyes raking curiously over her as if she was trying to read her mind. She couldn’t take the silence anymore. “I tried to look for you.” It came out as a whisper but it was enough for both Lou and Debbie to look her way. “I looked for you for a long time, asked around but no one knew where you were. I figured you didn’t want to be found.”

Lou’s grip on Matty tightened, she felt like she needed to hold onto him because if she didn’t, she’d fall down completely. “You looked for me?” She repeated, her voice low and confounded. “I didn’t think you cared.”

“You’re my daughter, my baby. Of course, I cared. I should’ve done more but I didn’t, I gave up and I shouldn’t have done that. I’m so sorry.”

Debbie stood a little awkwardly, nibbling her lip and feeling like an intruder in what should have been an intimate moment between estranged mother and daughter. She didn’t know if she fully believed what Lou’s mom was saying, maybe she had been around too many crooks but she always remained skeptical when people apologized. Lou seemed to believe her though and that was all that mattered.

“Can we start over?” Lou asked and she shook her head to rid her eyes of the tears which were threatening to escape. She hadn’t forgiven her mother, that would take some time but she did want to move on. She wanted a relationship with her; she wanted to be able to see her brother. She wanted her family back, no matter how broken or mismatched it was.

Jennifer nodded and darted over to Lou’s side of the room. “Of course, sweetheart.” She wrapped her arms around her daughter who gently placed her brother down onto the ground. Matty went to stand beside Debbie who he had already taken a liking to. She hovered an arm over him protectively, like Lou; she had an overpowering need to want to protect him.  

Jennifer kept a hold on Lou for a long time, missing having her daughter so close to her, she had changed an awful lot since the last time that she had hugged her. Lou pulled away and wrapped her arms around herself; she had so much that she needed to explain to her. “I was gonna leave him then, I was but he promised me he’d changed. And he was so good with Matty. He’s a good dad, he really is.”

“He sure ain't a good husband…” Debbie interrupted, still not entirely convinced with Jennifer Miller’s sudden change of heart.

“He only started, you know, when business got bad.” She looked down for a moment to collect her thoughts; she knew that was no excuse. “These friends of yours, what are they going to do exactly?”

Debbie watched as Jennifer took hold of Lou’s hand, she reminded herself that everything that she was doing was for Lou. “Give him a taste of his own medicine, they’ll make sure he never hurts you again or, you know, they’ll kill him.”

“They wouldn’t actually,” Lou reassured because she was ninety percent sure that Debbie was joking about that last part.

Debbie shrugged, as far as she was aware of, Danny’s ‘friends’ hadn’t killed anyone before. They usually just scared people into paying back money that they owed them or had stolen from them. “No, but they’re pretty threatening.”

“Okay, if you think it’ll work then okay.” Jennifer looked between Lou and Debbie, beginning to trust them a little more than she had done before. Her situation couldn’t really get much worse so maybe, this was a risk that was worth taking.

Lou could see the apprehension on her mom’s face and she knew that she must be terrified. Rick was a scary man, she knew that, and her mom had a child to look after, she couldn’t just leave. “It’s gonna be all right, mom. You and Matty are gonna be all right.” Jennifer managed a smile, maybe Lou was correct, maybe things would be all right.

Matty had at some point wrapped his arms around Debbie’s leg, his little fingernails gently digging into the fabric of her jeans. She looked down and he was staring up at her expectantly. “Hey, Matty, why don’t you show me your bedroom? You guys should have a catch-up, I’ll keep him entertained.” She was still cautious about leaving Lou alone with her mom, especially as it had ended so badly last time, but she knew that it was what Lou needed. She needed to rebuild her relationship with her mom, she needed to heal.

“Thanks, Deb,” Lou smiled, capturing Debbie’s hand with her own as she walked past. Her eyes remained on her as she walked away and left for the bedroom with Matty at the back of the apartment.

Jennifer could see that Lou was completely in love with Debbie, it was fairly obvious to her at this point. “She makes you happy, doesn’t she?” She asked and walked through to the kitchen with Lou following behind.

“Yeah, she’s everything.” She tried to hide the blush from her cheeks when she had said that but it was no use.

Jennifer just smiled; it was nice to see Lou so happy. It was a relief to know, that despite everything that she had been through, she had found her happiness. “Then I’m happy for you, both of you.”


	25. I'm Still Standing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry again for taking forever to update, I was actually in Paris last week though so that's a decent excuse, right? It also seems like I have to travel wherever my characters go to, which could be a problem lol. Hope you like this update!

Danny had returned to the city late last night, crashing through the door and making no attempts to remain quiet despite it being close to the early hours of the morning. Debbie being Debbie had wanted to ask Danny for that favor right away but Lou had stopped her, sensing that something this big probably wouldn’t be greeted with open arms by a severely jetlagged Danny.

This had left Debbie waiting impatiently the entire morning for Danny to surface and as soon as she heard those tell-tale noises coming from the kitchen, she had leaped up and had run downstairs to greet him. “Hey Dan, how was Paris?” She chimed cheerfully, as soon as she reached the kitchen doorway.

Danny was leaning against the kitchen unit, clasping a mug of coffee between his fingers, still not having entirely recovered from his jetlag. He raised an eyebrow, both skeptical and amused by Debbie’s energetic entrance. “It didn’t get much better once you’d left.” He shifted to the side to allow Debbie to reach the coffee jar which she did so, only too swiftly.

“Did you get the diamonds back?” She asked, with all the chaos that was happening at home she had practically forgotten about what had happened in Paris.

Danny scoffed which caused Debbie to take her eyes away from the freshly brewed coffee in front of her. “They’re staying in Paris; Pierre is _sorting_ it. That’s why Mom and Dad are still over there.”

She swallowed, sensing that things hadn’t gone according to plan. She knew that she was right about Pierre, he could not be trusted. “How long’s that gonna take?”

“Who knows?” Danny slammed his mug down onto the counter, a little more forcefully than he had meant to and started to walk back into the direction of the staircase. The Paris issue still irritated him, he had offered to stay and help his father out with pressuring Pierre but he was told to return home, much to his dissatisfaction.

Debbie chased after him, grabbing his arm before he had left the room. “So Dan, you know that favor you owe me?” She smiled as innocently as she could, hoping that the sweet little sister routine would still work for him the same way that it used to when they were kids.

“Pretty sure you’re the one who owes me but go on…”

She shook her head, the urgency of the matter taking over, “I need muscle.” She said it with a straight face but it still came out rather childlike, she folded her arms over her chest and the firm frown remained on her face. She hoped Danny knew what she meant and that he wouldn’t be asking too many questions, the less people that knew about Lou’s private situation, the better.

“What?” He placed his hands in his back pockets, hoping that Debbie wasn’t suggesting what he thought that she was.

She let out a sigh, teamed with an annoyed eye roll. “Your crew, your squad, I need their help.”

He shook his head; there was no chance that he would be allowing Debbie to get involved with guys like that. “No way, not happening. And why the hell do you need their help for? What mess have you got yourself into?”

“It’s not for Debbie, it’s for me.” Lou appeared from out of nowhere, walking sheepishly into the kitchen. She had been listening to everything from around the corner, despite telling Debbie that she was going to be taking a shower.

Lou filled Danny in with everything that she could; not bothering to keep anything from him because she needed him to help her and besides, Danny was her family now and she trusted him almost as much as she trusted Debbie. “Okay, I’ll help, I’ll talk to him.” Danny agreed after almost a minute of anxious silence.

Lou smiled, thankful that Danny was on board. Debbie looked between them, a small frown creasing her forehead. “Just you? No offense, but you’re not scary at all.”

“You haven’t seen me when someone threatens my family. When’s this guy gonna be around?” He made sure to look at Lou when he said the word ‘family’, he wanted her to feel accepted. She had risked a lot by telling him everything about her life, and he knew just how much she meant to Debbie. Lou was their family now.

Lou smiled; it seemed that she had now gained herself an older brother. Her smile faltered once she realized that this, perhaps, wasn’t the best time to be celebrating her inclusion in the Ocean family. She thought for a moment, it was a weeknight, surely ‘family man’ Rick would be at home on a weeknight. “He should be at the apartment tonight.”

“Then we’ll be paying him a visit,” A small smile covered his lips, revenge was one of the things that he enjoyed the most, after stealing, of course. It probably wasn’t going to pretty though, because things like this never were and bullies like Rick Arnold rarely listened to mere words. “You guys can go for ice cream while I have a talk with the big man.”

Debbie could see the apprehension on Lou’s face and she could see that her mind had wandered away from the current conversation. She still didn’t know why Danny was insisting on doing this himself, especially when he didn’t have to. She looked over at him, he too, seemed to be deep in thought, she assumed that he was coming up with a plan; Ocean’s sure did like to plan, after all. She cleared her throat to pull his attention, “You sure this’ll work, Dan?”

He nodded, already confident that he could take on a man who only hits women and girls. “Yeah, I got it, trust me.”

* * *

The sun had just set and the city was covered in a cloud of gentle dust, the street lights shining a little too brightly as darkness had yet to completely settle. Lou was walking between Danny and Debbie, Debbie’s arm was linked tightly with hers as if she thought that she would try to run away at any moment; she’d be lying if she said that she hadn’t thought about that.

She looked over at Danny, he walked with a swagger, his back straight and his eyes focused on what was in front of him, if he was worried about how this confrontation was going to go down then he certainly hid it well. Debbie didn’t look quite as confident and she had picked up the habit of squeezing her arm every so often, usually when they stopped to cross a street or when Danny had said something in reference to Rick. She could tell that she was trying to put on a brave face though, she’d send her nervous smiles every so often and whisper that everything was going to be okay whenever there was a dull in conversation.

They were a couple of blocks away from the apartment when a screaming ambulance hurtled past them, followed by an equally eager police car. “Sounds like someone’s in trouble.” Danny muttered, more to himself than anyone else but he still found himself being met by two horrified faces.

“Mom…” Lou gasped; she couldn’t quite explain it, but, somehow she knew exactly where those sirens were headed. A sickly feeling hit her stomach and it took her a couple of seconds to comprehend what was happening. She felt Debbie’s hand tighten around her bicep, she was saying something to her but all she could hear was a faint muffle while her head swam with a million possible images of her mother beaten and bruised.

She started to run then, following the bright lights that raced around the corner. Debbie was right beside her, she had let go of her arm now but, still, only inches separated them. Danny was right behind them, unsure of what was happening but aware that it wasn’t going to be good.

As she had expected, the lights had stopped right outside her mom’s apartment building. She stopped right beside the ambulance and attempted to make her way through the open door and up to the apartment but she was held back by Danny. His arms gripped around her waist, pulling her away from the doorway which was being occupied by a police officer who was yelling at her to stand back.

There was a bustle and voices could be heard along with heavy footsteps and the officer at the doorway motioned for them to move even further backward. Another officer came into view with Rick Arnold not far behind with his hands cuffed in front of him and his head bowed low.

“What did you do?” Lou screamed but Rick refused to meet her eye, instead, he continued to look at the floor and ignored the three pairs of eyes that were burning into him. Lou glared, the hatred that she felt for Rick was indescribable, there was not one person on earth that she hated as much as she did him. She tore her gaze away, realizing that it was pointless trying to get an answer from him. She looked back toward the open door, “Mom?” She shouted and Danny had to tighten his grip on her to stop her from racing up the stairs of the building.

“Asshole!” Debbie cried at Rick as he was being pushed into the cop car just a few meters away from them. She turned back to Lou, who had tears in her eyes and was looking completely helpless, practically slumped in Danny’s arms.

Debbie pushed her way past her brother, not bearing to see Lou suffering for a moment longer. She made her way to the police officer who was guarding the door and did her best to see around him, “What’s going on?” She demanded and a crackle on the radio was the only response that she had received before she was, once again, being told to move back.

Jennifer appeared not long afterward with a bloody nose and a sleepy Matty cradled in her arms. She was ushered to the ambulance and Lou escaped Danny’s grip, following closely behind her. “Mom, what happened? What did he do?” She was panicking, the sight of blood freaking her out like it always did. Debbie was right beside her again and she gripped onto her hand for both comfort and support.

“I’m okay, Matty’s okay. It’s over.” Jennifer sat down on the bed inside the ambulance, placing Matty down on the space beside her, he muttered something before seeming to fall back to sleep. Lou was thankful that he appeared to have missed everything that had happened.

“You called the cops?” She asked, not believing that her mom would have done so, she certainly seemed against the idea just a few days ago.

Jennifer nodded, stiffly and solemnly. “I had to, he threatened Matty. I couldn’t let him hurt my boy like he hurt you. That’s when he hit me, when he heard me call the cops.” She grimaced as the paramedic started to dab at her injury and turned to look at her son, reminding herself why she had done what she had.

“It’s really over this time?” Lou asked in disbelief, she had waited for this moment for so long. She had spent so many nights praying that her mom would leave him, begging her to see sense until she had given up entirely and had left herself.  

“He’s exactly as gross as I’d imagined him to be.” Debbie seethed from beside Lou, breaking her out of her thoughts.

 “Hey, Deb. Let’s wait over here.” Danny placed a hand on his sister’s shoulder, sensing that maybe Lou needed some alone time to talk to her mom. He ushered Debbie to the other side of the street, who seemed to follow willingly, despite her eyes not leaving Lou for so much as a millisecond.

Jennifer looked up at Lou once Debbie and Danny had left. “I really messed up, didn’t I? I never should’ve taken his side back then; I should have left him the moment he laid a hand on you.”

“It’s okay, mom.” Lou let out a sad sigh because it wasn’t okay, and she wished that she could forgive her mother that easily but she couldn’t. For years she had wondered what her life would’ve been like if her mom had left him that night, it was so easy to get tied up in the what if’s and the what could have beens. She glanced over at the apartment, her heeled boots scraping across the concrete; she knew that it was going to take some time to repair their relationship but this was certainly a step in the right direction. With Rick now out of the picture, maybe they really could start over.

It was as if Jennifer could read her daughter’s mind, and her guilt grew stronger with each second that Lou spent avoiding her eye. “I’ll make it up to you somehow; I want you to be a part of Matty’s life. A part of mine too. ”

Lou looked back at the mention of Matty’s name, “I will be, I promise.” She sat down beside her brother, letting his head rest on her lap as she waited for her mom to get cleaned up. She had already fallen in love with him; there was no way that she would ever leave him, not now, not ever.

“What do you think is gonna happen?” Debbie asked, watching on as Lou cuddled her little brother and the paramedic dabbed at Jennifer’s bloody nose. Part of her was glad that Rick had ended up in handcuffs, as much as she hated the police and the whole legal system as a whole, it meant that he wouldn’t be able to hurt Lou or her family again, not if he was behind bars.

Danny’s eyes averted to the police car which had just driven away, “I dunno, guess it’ll go to trial.”

“He won’t be released from jail though, right?” She looked back at him, as if he held all the answers that she was searching for.

“Doubt it.” He said with a shrug, despite not knowing what would happen at all. He needed to put Debbie’s mind at ease though because she was a worrier and the last thing he wanted was for her and Lou to be stressing about this for months on end.

“Good.” Debbie turned back to Lou and she was convinced that she could see a small smile on her lips. “Thanks for doing this, Dan, even though, you didn’t need to actually do anything, but, ya know.” She nudged his elbow with her own, when it came to brothers, Danny really wasn’t so bad.

Danny smiled to himself, wrapping his arm around his sister’s shoulders; “It’s what family’s for. Lou’s one of us, I got her back just like I got yours.” He followed Debbie’s gaze to across the street. “As much as I woulda loved to beat that guy up, I think this way might be even better.”


End file.
